Summer In The South
by postcardfromsomewhere
Summary: As punishment, Harry Styles has to spend the summer in the small town of Palmer, Tennessee, with distant relatives. However, his summer gets a bit interesting when he meets the eyes of the town's favorite jockey. Larry Stylinson AU. One Direction. RPF
1. Prologue

Harry groaned as he felt beads of sweat drip down his neck. He wiped it away, letting an irritated sigh escape from his lips. He hadn't even gotten off of the landed plane and _already_ he was annoyed.

Not that he hadn't been before, but this variable just escalated that fact.

His mother, Anne, tapped his knee lightly, pointing out the window, "Look outside, Harry."

He leaned over his mother towards the window and looked out, inwardly groaning at what he saw.

Green. _Too much_ green. And way too many open fields. He knew what countryside looked like, but this was just…way too much to live in. He huffed back into his seat and his mother patted his knee again,

"Don't look so down. This will be fun. It's only for a summer."

Harry rolled his eyes and his mother leaned down, whispering sternly in his ear, "Stop pouting. You got yourself into this. We're in a beautiful town—make the most of it."

The plane finally stopped and Anne stood up, grabbing her carry on that was sitting in front of her seat and exiting the row, before Harry even had a chance to stand up.

Harry watched his mother exit the plane swiftly, and Harry, not really wanting to start this "vacation" he was being forced on, took his time gathering his belongings and exiting the plane.

The second his feet hit the pavement and he sucked in a breath of air, he felt his lungs give out almost instantly. He coughed as the humidity and dry air swept over him, and he had to cough multiple times to try and regain his breath back.

He narrowed his eyes at his mother, who was waving over a taxi to come and pick them up. After all, it was her fault they were even in this mess in the first place.

Well, granted,_ he_ was technically the one who started the fist fight in the bar. And yes, one could say that he made the record label look like fools for even signing a 4 year contract with him (or so Simon, his manager, says). But in the end, it was his mother who thought this trip would be "good for him" and that he needed to "get away from the paparazzi and spend some time with his family."

And all Harry had to say to that was "bullshit."

He loved the fame he had back home. Being the youngest contestant to ever win the X Factor definitely had its perks. Not only was he doing what he loved to do, but he was making a ton of money, and he always had a gorgeous man or woman at his side, accompanying him to parties and clubs. It was the greatest life any person could live.

Yet, here he was, standing in front of the small, Franklin County Airport, watching his mother try to talk to the taxi driver, giving him directions to their destination, which was what Harry actually feared the most.

Not only was in the United States, away from everything he knew and loved, but he was also in the state of _Tennessee_, where people rode on tractors and horses and everyone had southern drawls that were almost impossible to understand.

Harry had loved it when he was 10 years old, but now—8 years later—he really just wanted to get the hell out of here and go back home.

"Harry! Come on dear! We are going to be late if we don't get moving."

Harry stalked over to the taxi and slid into the back seat, his mother taking the respective seat in the front.

"Hi! I'm Mark, and where did y'all say you were going to this fine afternoon?" The taxi driver, with a terribly thick accent, spoke with such enthusiasm that it almost irritated Harry, but his mother spoke for the two of them,

"Palmer, please?" She asked.

The taxi driver started the engine, "In Grundy County?"

"That's right!" Anne said.

"Perfect! That's where I'm from!" Mark gave her a toothy grin and rolled out of the airport. The airport wasn't far from where the two were going, so the taxi driver tried to make small talk,

"So where did y'all say you were from? I know you're from somewhere 'cause of your accents!"

Anne smiled attentively and nodded, "We are from London."

Mark leaned his head back in understanding, "Ah, so _you're_ the distant cousins of the Horan's?"

Harry looked up instantly, slight worry in his voice as he spoke, "How'd you know?" To say Harry was nervous was a clear understatement.

All of Harry's family in the United States knew he won the X Factor the past season—but they had all been sworn to secrecy. Should the time come where he would need an escape, it was arranged that he would have the States as that route, and he knew he wouldn't be bothered.

Since the UK X Factor was highly overcast by the US X Factor, and considering the town of Palmer only held 700 occupants, Harry was sure his secret would remain just that, as he was positive no one would even know his name.

But now? Now he was worried.

"Palmer only has 700 people in it," Mark said simply, "You'll come to find that word travels fast in a small town. Plus," Mark added, "Bobby Horan owns the town hardware store—that's where I buy all my guns."

"G—guns?" Harry stammered.

"Yeah, you know—for huntin'." Mark said with a chuckle.

At this Harry relaxed, "Oh right, hunting." He lowered into his seat, making sure to pull his aviators over his eyes.

Mark continued to drive and talk to Harry and Anne, his welcome words and bubbly personality making the car ride enjoyable…at least for Anne. Harry had to admit, for a taxi driver in such a secluded town, he sure had a positive outlook on life. He continued to talk endlessly on how the town was full of great, wonderful people who would welcome the two with open arms. He spoke of everyone's hospitality, and Harry never saw Mark's smile falter or the glisten in his eyes die down as he gushed about his friends and neighbors.

Harry gazed out the window, shaking his head in amazement.

Mark was the kind of person you _didn't_ see walking down the London streets.

To Harry, this was oddly refreshing.

"Say kid," Mark said after a while of his chatter, "What's with those sunglasses? You look like one of those famous people we all see on those T.V. specials."

Harry stunned again, and Anne took notice, "Oh, I just got those for him. They're nice, aren't they?"

Anne gave Harry a reassuring smile but Mark shrugged, waving his hand in the air as he made a final turn onto the dirt road where his cousins lived, "I guess. Though, if you're plan was to get around unnoticed, you won't have much luck wearing those."

* * *

><p>It was 15 minutes later when Mark parked in front of the small, two story country home he would be staying in for the next few months.<p>

Harry heard his mother squeal with excitement as they both waved Mark goodbye. Just as they turned around to face the house, a short, very blonde woman came running out of the front door, her apron on and a huge, infectious smile plastered on her face,

"Anne!" She cried as she bounded the front wooden steps of her home. She opened her arms and Anne laughed, hugging the woman and continuing to laugh as the woman joined her.

Once they broke apart, Anne smiled windily at Harry,

"Harry, this is my cousin Maura. You remember her, don't you?"

Maura Horan looked up at Harry and smiled at him, and he couldn't help but take in her high energy as he grinned back.

"'Course I do. Hello Maura." He said.

"Oh, enough with this 'hello' nonsense" She exclaimed happily, "I've known you since you were 'bout the size of a dwindling stack of hay! I changed your diapers and watched you and Niall fight over horse races! Come here and give me some love!" She opened her arms and crushed Harry in a hug, which caught him off guard. But the energy and sincerity that was radiating off of her was so overwhelming, Harry was starting to feel a bit of it himself. He hugged her back, and it was when they parted that he remembered the other person she had mentioned.

"Niall-?"

"Oh yes! My son! You must remember him," She turned to Anne, "Oh I remember the days when they were inseparable."

"So do I." Anne agreed, smiling at her.

"Let me just call for him—Niall! NIALL! Get down 'ere and say hello to your cousins!"

A few moments later, Harry caught sight of a tall boy with hair that matched his mothers making his way down the wooden steps. Harry had to smile at the traditional southerners outfit he wore—A short sleeved plaid shirt, overalls and boots.

So typical.

Niall walked down the path and stood next to Maura, his grin identical to hers. He first took to Anne, who smiled at him,

"Anne!" He enveloped her in a hug and she, also taken by surprise, patted him on the back and laughed,

"Hey Niall! How have you been?"

"Been doin' good." He said, "School's just let out so I've been working at the farmer's market."

Anne let out a polite, "Oh," and Niall brought his attention to Harry. Harry's green eyes met Niall's blue ones, and Harry had never seen such a spark in anyone like he saw in Niall.

It was a bit unsettling. Even after being reacquainted with his mother.

"Harry! You—I—I can't believe you're back! It's been what? Almost eight years! That's insane! I'm so glad you're here!" Harry opened his mouth to speak, and at least try and fake some sort of happiness, if not for his mother's sake than for Niall's—because it was almost impossible to be any type of mean or rude to the boy. In just 45 seconds of speaking with him, Harry knew there was no way he could have a sincere, true disliking for his cousin.

Niall grabbed him in a hug before he was able to say anything, and Harry had to laugh at his enthusiasm, patting him on the back and returning the hug.

Niall pulled away and tugged on the straps of his overalls, grinning slightly as he looked down at Harry's luggage,

"Did y'all need help carryin' your stuff in?" He made way to grab Harry's large suitcase, and Harry began to protest,

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that! I can—"

"Oh naw. It's okay! I got it!" And Harry watched in amazement as Niall, whose arms seemed as though they couldn't carry the mail to and from the box, lifted up his suitcase with ease and walked it up the steps and into the house. Harry glanced at his mother and Maura, who simply shrugged,

"He looks like a twig, but he's sure got the muscles of a jockey."

Anne nodded in understanding but Harry looked at her confused, "A jockey?"

"You know—a person who race horses."

"Oh." Harry said dumbly.

"Oh yes! The annual derby is happenin' round these parts in a weeks' time! Well surely you remember, Harry? You and Niall loved them when y'all came 'round for the summer!" Maura said, clapping her hands together.

Harry only shrugged in response but Maura continued, "Oh, well, this year we have a real good shot of getting one of our own jockey's up to McMinnville for their derby in a few months!"

Harry nodded along with his mother, but inwardly rolled his eyes. So that was the big thing they did here in Palmer? _Horses_? Racing?

Yawn.

Sure, Harry may have liked watching the races as a kid, but that was years ago. Now it was taking a lot of energy to not roll his eyes at Maura's excitement for it.

"Who is he?" Anne asked Maura, now ushering Harry to follow her and Maura into the house. Harry made to grab Anne's suitcase and trudged it up the wooden steps, making sure to drop it at the side of the doorway to grab later.

As he followed Anne and Maura into the house, Harry took note of the interior—small, country, yellow walls, and wooden floors. Harry had to admit-with all of the knickknacks and paintings of fields and just the feeling he had—the house was extremely homey. A sense of familiarity soared through him, and suddenly, all of the happy memories of him and Niall running rampant around the familiar house filled him up with a sense of amazement.

But he wouldn't let his mother know that.

Harry walked into the kitchen just as Maura sat down at the small kitchen table, throwing a pitcher of iced tea in the middle of the table and offering Harry and Anne cups,

"His name is Louis Tomlinson."

"Who?" Harry asked, thanking Maura as she poured him a cup of iced tea.

"That jockey I was talkin' bout earlier." Maura said.

"Oh." Harry said absent mindedly, stirring his tea with his straw.

"And what makes you think he's so good?" Anne asked, taking a sip.

Maura smirked, "You just have to watch him. He's so graceful on his horse. He's been riding ever since he was a little boy. But he's only just moved here a few years ago."

"How interesting." Anne said, sincerely.

"Sure is," Maura returned, "But what's even more interesting is—and you didn't hear this from me—but that boy shouldn't even be _in_ this town."

This got Harry's attention and he perked up, leaning into the conversation, "Why's that?"

Maura, clearly excited about Harry's interest, leaned into the table too, as if she were telling a big 'ol secret, "Well, you see, Louis caused quite a scandal last season. Had the whole town in an uproar."

"What did he did he do?" Harry asked with an eyebrow raised in anticipation.

Maura took a sip of her iced tea and gave Harry a look, then shifted her eyes to Anne, "I don't know if this appropriate for children."

Anne gave a knowing look to Harry and smiled at Maura, "I think he can handle it." She said reassuringly, and Harry could tell in her tone of voice that she knew Harry could pretty much handle anything—given his lifestyle back in London.

Maura sighed and looked back into the living room, making sure Niall wasn't walking down, it seemed like,

"Good. Niall's heard the story but it makes him slightly uncomfortable. I can understand, and I'm sure it's make you wary too, Harry."

"Why?"

Maura sighed, but vindictively, as if she had been dying to tell them Palmer's biggest gossip story, "Louis was caught kissing the Mayor's son."

Anne and Harry both gave her confused looks and Anne spoke, after a few moments of silence, "Is…is that a bad thing?"

Maura looked at her, shocked, "Don't you know who the Mayor is?"

Anne shook her head and Harry listened, "Donnie Carson is a very conservative man," Maura began, "He's got this town runnin' in strict lines. So how do you think he felt on the fact that Sam was not interested in the woman he had been set on him marrying? And instead, he was interested in boys?"

"I'm thinking it didn't go very well," Anne returned shooting a worrisome glance to Harry.

"You bet your bottom dollar. It was a commotion in the town square, and there was even a fight between Donnie and Louis in the farmer's market!"

"Oh my." Anne said.

"Oh my indeed." Maura returned. "Well, long story short, Donnie shipped Sam off to college in some New England state, and Louis stayed here."

Harry hummed and took another sip, "But why would Donnie make Sam leave? Why not Louis? That's his son, isn't it?"

Maura sighed sympathetically, "Donnie wants to make a name for this small town. And Louis is his only chance to do that. If he makes it to the derby in McMinnville, that'll boost our reputation. Sam, bless his heart, had nothing going for him 'cept his grades. Sam didn't have any way of making a name for himself here. So he left."

"That sucks." Harry said to himself.

"You bet. And poor Louis—now, I have nothing wrong with the gays, mind you—but the poor boy. He just sits 'round town, reading books on horses and jockeys. When he's not in school, he's with his trainer, or he's with his horse. Doesn't really have many friends besides that trainer of his—Liam, I think is his name. I tried getting Niall to have a go at the two but he's a bit intimidated."

Harry hummed to himself in agreement. He could see Niall being intimidated by someone with so much power in such a small town.

Harry lifted his head at the sound of boots pounding against the hard wood floor. Well speak of the devil.

"Ma!"

Maura turned and grinned brightly when Niall returned from upstairs, "There you are, Niall. Where've you been?"

"Setting up Harry's room." He turned to Harry, "Come on, then. I'll show you the way."

Harry stood up and followed Niall, turning back and waving to the two women at the table.

* * *

><p>The stairs creaked loudly as both boys walked up them, and once they reached the top platform, Niall spoke,<p>

"So what were y'all talking about down there? My mom is such a gossip queen. Sorry 'bout that."

Harry shrugged, "It's not a problem. I'm used to it, you know." Harry said, giving Niall a knowing look.

Niall's eyes grew wide in understanding, "Oh that's right. You won that singing show, right?" He added as an afterthought, "Must be nice living the high life."

Harry shrugged again, not wanting to paint a picture of how perfect his life was to Niall, who would probably envy him in some sort of way. Niall continued,

"Yeah. Life here isn't too shabby, you get used to it the longer you stay."

"Wonderful." Harry muttered sarcastically.

"What was that?" Niall asked, opening the bedroom door adjacent to the platform and leading Harry inside.

"Nothin'." Harry said, taking a look around the small bedroom. It was standard, and quite possibly boring. But the way Harry saw it, he would only be using this room for sleeping—so quite frankly anything would do.

"Right," Niall said, "So this is your room. It's not much, but it's somethin'." Harry nodded in agreement and Niall muttered a quick goodbye, about to open the door when Harry stopped him, a question burning in his mind,

"Hey Niall?"

"Yeah?"

Harry cleared his throat, "Your mum…she was talking about Louis Tomlinson—"

Niall hummed in response and took a seat on Harry's bed. He looked up at him, "She always talks about that kid. I swear, she's obsessed."

Harry laughed slightly, "Right. Well, is it…is it true? What happened to him? With the Mayor's son?"

Niall nodded, "Sure is. Every word. I feel a bit bad for Sam, but he was heading off to college anyway. Louis is lucky he got to stay around. The Mayor is very…conservative. He don't believe in teen pregnancy or gay rights…or none of that."

Harry ran a hand through his hair and pulled a bit at the ends, letting out a groan. Niall caught this and gave him an inquisitive look, "What's the matter?"

Harry gave Niall a strained look, "You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. My mum knows, yeah, but I'm telling you because you're family. And I'll be living with you for like, four months."

"Al'right, tell me."

Harry sucked in a deep breath, "I'm—I'm gay, Niall."

"Yeah, so?" Niall said nonchalantly, without missing a beat.

Harry raised an eyebrow, his nerves suddenly leaving him, "You—you don't care?"

"Not really. I mean, I do, 'course. You're my cousin." He reiterated, shaking his hands, "But I don't care that you like other men. That's your prerogative, not mine."

"Oh, well, thank god." He said, smiling easily now. He had been afraid to tell Niall this secret when he had first arrived, but after hearing the news about the Mayor and his views, the thought scared him even more. It was a small town—news traveled fast. And he didn't want to learn that the hard way. Harry continued, "It's just that your mom said you weren't comfortable with the talk of it—"

"My mom doesn't know jack shit 'bout me." Niall said, and his choice of words startled Harry, "To her," the blonde continued, "I will always be her good little boy. She refuses to see different."

"Well, you're lucky then." Harry confirmed.

Niall grinned, "Not when your curfew is still 10 PM."

Harry gave his cousin a sympathetic look, "Are you serious?"

"Sad, isn't it?"

"Very."

Niall nodded and rolled his eyes when Maura called for him, "Niall! Get your butt down here and load up the pick up! You have to take this load to the farmer's market!"

"Okay ma!"

Maura called out again, "And bring Harry with you! You need to get him a job!"

Harry gave Niall a startled look, "_A job_?"

Niall grinned, "Well yeah. What else are you going to do in this small town for four months? Watch the tumbleweeds roll by?"

Harry returned Niall's grin but rolled his eyes, lifting Niall up from the bed and following him out the door. Before they made their way down the stairs, Niall stopped him and whispered in a hushed tone,

"Look friend, you know I'm okay with your secret. But not everyone will be. This is a small town—as small as it gets. Word gets 'round fast. If I were you, I would keep that secret to the insides of this house. Don't go spreading it 'round. If it does, there is every chance in hell the Mayor will hear about it. And trust me, you _don't_ want that. I've seen what he can do, and it ain't pretty. Ya hear?"

Harry found Niall's intense tone to be a bit off putting. While he appreciated Niall's concern, that same concern made him extremely nervous to even be in this town.

However, Harry nodded, which earned a smile from the blonde haired, blue eyed boy. He followed Niall down the stairs, a million thoughts running through his head.

By the time Harry and Niall had loaded the truck with the load and Niall turned on the engine, Harry was sure that the next few months were going to be the most interesting ones he's ever had.


	2. Chapter One

Harry stared out the window of Niall's pickup truck dully as he drove through the small town of Palmer. Naturally, the farmer's market wasn't far from Niall's house, but that didn't stop Niall from asking a million questions about Harry's life back in London:

"Are there really people in red outfits and funny hats?" He asked.

"Sometimes—depends on where you go."

"Does everyone _really _drink all that tea stuff?" Niall asked a second later.

"Pretty much."

"Why do y'all drive on the wrong side of the road?"

Harry yawned, "It's not the wrong side—other countries drive on that side of the road too. To us, you driving on the right side is actually the _wrong_ side."

At this Niall laughed, and Harry followed him, unable to contain himself with Niall's maniacal cackle.

It was only a few minutes later when Niall pulled into the surprisingly crowded farmer's market.

"Yeah," Niall said as he pulled into a parking lot, taking note of Harry's wide eyes of amazement at the amount of people in the market, "This is the place to be during the summer."

"I can see that." Harry muttered, opening the car door and hopping out of the car. He was immediately met with the hot, moist air he still wasn't used to. He fanned out his t-shirt, looking down at the dark jeans he was wearing and high tops. Niall's brown boots came into view and Harry looked up to see his cousin next to him,

"May I suggest not wearing those jeans? I have some old shorts in my car. You'll only die of a heat stroke if you don't change!"

"It's not that hot out. I'll be fine."

Niall shrugged, "It's your funeral." He grinned at Harry and grabbed the load from the back of the truck and hoisted it over his shoulder. Harry tapped the box with his index finger as he walked along side Niall into the market,

"What's in the box, anyways?" He asked, "Bricks or something? It seems heavy."

Niall shook his head and laughed, nodding his head toward a tent at the end of all of the other tents. The tents at the farmer's market were small, but very contained. And every tent seemed to have its own theme and its own merchandise. Harry looked around at the different tents as he walked through the market and saw a purse tent, a video game tent, a movie tent, a clothing tent and even a cellular phone accessory tent.

"This box is actually going to the tent where we'll be working this summer." Niall said.

Harry winced, "You were _serious_ about that?"

The blonde nodded, paying no mind to Harry's strained response, "Heck yes I was! C'mon! It'll be fun. Us cousin's working together at the CD tent!"

"Yeah, sure." Harry said as Niall wrapped his free arm around his shoulder, dragging him towards the end of the path. Niall smiled when they reached the CD tent and Harry took in the look of the tent.

It was your normal, standard tent. A plastic table was sitting underneath the somewhat small, white tent. On top of the table was a blue tablecloth, scattered with different types of CD's. They were all an organized mess—the CDs were stacked on top of each other, but they were all ordered by artist of each album. Harry had to laugh and the disarray display and Niall rolled his eyes, shoving Harry in the shoulder,

"Yeah, okay so we ain't the neatest. But it's not my fault. It's Zayn's."

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion, and he wiped the sweat off of his forehead, "Whose Zayn?"

At that, another box was slammed down onto the table and Harry jumped up, his eyes diverting from Niall to a tall, tan skinned boy with dark hair and matching eyes. He was wearing jeans like Harry's, though they were tucked into his cowboy boots. If it weren't for his Ed Hardy shirt, Harry would have thought he was kind of cute.

"Here are the rest of the country albums, Niall. I told Shane from the gun and pawn tent that I would go to Bobby's and get him some extra bullets—" Zayn paused once he looked up from the box he had slammed on the table, his eyes meeting Harry's and swiftly turning back to Niall,

"Who's this guy?"

Niall patted Harry's shoulder, "This here is my cousin, Z! Remember, I told you he was spending the summer with me? He's from London…?" Niall urged Zayn, who scratched his head until his eyes lit up,

"Oh yeah! Harry, ain't it?" He held out his hand and Harry took it gingerly. Zayn shook it enthusiastically, "My name's Zayn. Nice to meet ya! Niall here has told me a lot of things about you!"

"What…what kind of things?" Harry asked warily, finally being released from Zayn's grip.

Zayn shrugged, "Nothing serious: You're from London, you have a weird accent, and he said you got a set of pipes on ya."

Harry gave Niall a look, "Is that so?" He said to Zayn, and Niall held up his hands, as if asking, 'what did I do wrong?'

It was innocent, but Harry didn't want the truth about him being exposed, especially not only after a few hours of being in Palmer.

"Sure is!" Zayn said, smiling, "We have a karaoke bar right down the road—I'm their Friday night DJ. We sure could use some new faces 'round those parts…if you're interested, 'course." Zayn suggested.

Harry shrugged. There was really no reason for him to say no—it's not like his voice was recognizable in Palmer, Tennessee. Plus, it was something for him to do—and get the people of the town to know him.

Not that that would be hard.

"Sure," Harry said finally, "Why not? Sounds like fun."

Zayn and Niall grinned at each other and high fived, obviously excited by this fact. Harry smiled along with them, not really understanding why they were so thrilled, but too hot and too uninterested to really care at the moment.

The boys talked a bit to each other for a little while longer, eventually taking seats behind the tent-and it was then that Harry really started to learn the basics of the town.

"So basically," Zayn said to Harry, handing him and Niall a Coke from his back pockets, "This town is run by Donnie Carson, the may—"

"The Mayor," Harry interjected, taking a sip, "What?" Harry said at Zayn's bewildered look, "Niall's mom was telling me stuff before I even walked into the door."

Zayn grinned and took a sip of his Coke, shooting a glance at Niall, "Oh that Maura. Always the gossip queen."

"Hey, lay off her, alright. She's got nothin' else to do with her time!" Niall defended.

"_Such a mama's boy_." Zayn muttered, earning a laugh from Harry.

"Damn right. And proud of it. She raised me well." Niall said, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's another thing you need to know about this damn town," Zayn said to Harry, "Everyone here respects their elders. So don't go mouthing off, ya hear?"

"Duly noted."

"Unless it's to Donnie Carson," Zayn added, "Then I give you full permission to do whatever the hell you'd like."

"Zayn…" Niall warned, giving Harry the impression that Donnie Carson was not a man to be messed with, and that he was feared within the town.

"_Niall_." Zayn returned sarcastically, "I know you'll suck up to anyone you have to—but that doesn't mean _I _will."

"You need to calm down. You don't want people hearing you say stuff like that about the Mayor." Niall said in a hushed tone.

"I'll say whatever the damn hell I want! This is still a free country, ain't it?"

"Yeah, but—"

"But nothin'!" Zayn exclaimed, "If a man can't even smoke in his own damn backyard because the Mayor thinks it 'unsanitary', then he can bite my own damn _ass_!"

Niall groaned, "Do we really have to talk about this now? In front of Harry?"

"Hell yeah! The boy's gotta know!" Zayn exclaimed.

"Oh," Niall said, trying to ease the tension and digress, "Don't go running off past the rail road tracks on Maple Street." He said to Harry.

"Why not?" Harry asked, shaking some of his unruly, curly hair out of his eyes.

Zayn grinned wildly, "Coyotes."

"Right." Harry said, worried but intrigued by Zayn's menacing smile, "Anything else?"

"Also," Zayn shot a look from Harry to Niall, "Did you tell him about—"

"Naw. My mom already did."

"Figures." The dark haired boy muttered, kicking the dirt underneath their feet with his cowboy boots.

"Oh what?" Harry asked knowingly, "About the jockey?"

Zayn nodded and sighed exasperatedly, "If there's any reason why I think the Mayor should be kicked where it don't shine, it's because of Louis."

Harry's eyes went from Niall to Zayn, "You're all friends with him, then?" He asked, now more interested than ever about this jockey, who seemed to be the talk of the town. Being in the spotlight all of the time made Harry susceptible to gossip, so it was always nice when the rumors weren't about him.

Zayn half shrugged, "I mean, yeah? It's a small town, everyone is friends with everyone. Niall and I were the only ones who didn't shut him out when shit hit the fan last season."

"So you're friends," Harry began, "But you don't acknowledge each other?"

"Pretty much," Niall said, "I don't think you understand what the Mayor has done to everyone, Harry. He's—he's…"

"He's made everyone have certain beliefs about certain types of people, and things," Zayn said, recovering for his friend, "If the Mayor thinks the farmer's market isn't making enough profit, or that Bobby Horan's Gun and Pawn Shop ain't worth a penny, then you bet everyone else in the town will think so."

"So that's why you don't talk to the jockey, then?" Harry realized, "Because the Mayor doesn't like him and you don't want the people in the town to not like you, either?"

Niall looked down in shame and Harry continued, "That's…that's horrible. You shouldn't have to do that—"

"You don't get it, Harry," Niall began, "Everyone in this town owns somethin' that could be taken away from them in a hot second. My dad owns the Gun and Pawn Shop, and Zayn's mom owns the Floral Shop on Main Street. One wrong look at the Mayor and everything we have could be gone."

The curly haired boy gave both of the boys a look of disbelief, not being able to comprehend that a Mayor could do something so menacing, "B-But this is the _21__st__ century_! Aren't people more accepting nowadays? _Especially_ in the States?"

"Yeah-word may travel fast within _our_ town, but we're the last town to hear _any_ sorta news. We're outdated, I guess." Niall returned.

Judging by what Harry had witnessed in the few hours since he arrived, he couldn't help but agree.

Harry was about to speak when there was a familiar yet odd sound coming from behind him. The sound of hooves colliding with the dirt path alerted him, filling him with butterflies and anticipation. He turned around, looking for the source,

"Do you guys hear that?" Harry asked excitedly, feeling the urge to see the sight of a horse. It had been eight years since he had laid his eyes on one, and though he thought he wouldn't be interested in them after all the time he spent away from Palmer, he realized that really wasn't the case.

"Must be Louis and Liam." Niall said, putting his Coke behind the table

"The jockey?"

"Same one," Zayn muttered, putting his Coke next to Niall's, "And his trainer."

"He brings his horse with him? To a farmer's market?" Harry asked, following suit of Zayn and putting his Coke behind the table,

"No, not necessarily. The ranch is down the road, and he strolls through sometimes to pick up some things for his dad."

"I see."

"Yeah—oh! There he is." Zayn said, nodding to a tent at the other end of the path.

Harry looked towards where the boy was looking and his eyes widened at the beautiful horse that first caught his attention. A beautiful, chocolate brown Arabian horse was trotting along the path, his hair glistening in the southern sun. The horse was fit, with large muscles that were meant for endurance and distance racing. He was really a sight to see.

However, it was the boy pulling the horse by its reins that Harry soon found himself staring at.

It was Louis Tomlinson.

He knew the horse was an eyesore as it is, but Harry didn't understand why people were looking at the horse when Louis was standing _right there_.

Harry couldn't help but let his eyes watch him—Louis was just so…_graceful_. With every move he made, it was as if the world gravitated towards his movements. When he flipped some hair out of his eyes, Harry could have sworn a gust of wind blew over him. When he smiled, the sun peeked out from the clouds it was hiding behind.

He was in a jockey uniform, and it was unnatural for anyone _not_ to check him out. The tight racing pants showed off his toned and defined thigh and leg muscles. The dark, short sleeved shirt he was wearing was tucked into his pants, which also gave view to his ripped abdominals.

Harry had to admit, for living in such a small town, he was surprised to see someone with that much beauty walking around.

Harry was so awestruck by Louis that he didn't notice another boy walk over to the CD table,

"Hey there." He said easily, "Do y'all have Nickelback's new CD?"

Harry was shaken out of his haze and was met with a pair of hazel eyes. The boy was tall, with light brown hair and an easy going smile. Harry opened his mouth to speak, his eyes still lingering on Louis-who was now only a few tents away from him—but he felt a hard hand on his shoulder and he was being pulled away from the table. He saw Zayn standing in front of the boy, holding up the Nickelback CD,

"Hey Liam," He said, addressing the boy, "Is this what you wanted?"

The boy named Liam grinned, and Harry took note that this was the trainer Zayn had mentioned before, "How ya doin' Zayn? Yeah! That's it!" He took the CD and examined it.

"I'm alright, ya know, workin' here ain't the best but it's just for the summer." Zayn leaned towards Liam, his eyes also trained on Louis, "You just get back from practice with Louis?"

Liam nodded, "Yeah. He's got his first race in two weeks—he's been trainin' hard. Taz is in good shape, too. I think we got a real good shot at gettin' up to the McMinnville derby."

"Aw yeah?" Niall said, poking his head out from underneath the table, where he was organizing some CD boxes. He stood up holding a box in between his arms, "You think he'll win the derby up there?" Niall asked, looking from Liam to Louis, still at the same tent he was at before, smiling at the little girls who were petting his horse. Only Niall's glance was a bit more worrisome…as if he didn't want Louis to walk any closer to the CD tent.

Harry caught sight of this and frowned, and Liam answered, "I sure do!" He turned his attention to Harry, and he stuck his hand out, "Haven't seen you 'round before. You new or somethin'? I'm Liam," He nodded towards Louis, "I'm that guy's trainer."

Harry nodded in understanding and smiled at Liam, shaking his hand, "Nice to meet you, Liam. I'm Harry-Niall's cousin."

"Oh! So you're the one from London with the voice, right?"

Harry rolled his eyes at Niall and Liam laughed, speaking for him, "Word gets 'round fast, Harry. It's something you'll learn after living in Palmer."

"I've noticed." Harry said.

Zayn clapped Liam on the shoulder, "Liam here also goes to the karaoke bar on Fridays, Harry. He's probably your main competition."

Liam rolled his eyes, smiling and pushing Zayn in the chest, "It's all friendly competition, Harry. But I do hope y'all come 'round. It's always fun to get some new singers in there." Liam said excitedly.

"Yeah, I said I'd go." Harry said.

"Sweet deal!" Liam said, but he was cut off abruptly when the boys heard his name being called from a few tents over,

"Liam! We gotta go!"

Harry jumped a bit at the voice, surprised by the familiarity of it. He knew he had never heard it before, but it was unlike any other voice he had heard since he had been here. The accent was thick, but not as thick as Niall's. It was almost as if he knew that voice from somewhere, but he knew that place didn't exist. Harry looked to the source of the voice and it was then that his eyes met Louis' for the first time. Louis' blue orbs were piercing his green ones, and Harry stared back at him, waiting for him to say something, or do anything to acknowledge him.

But he did nothing but look at him—as if he were trying to figure out who he was or what he was doing here, or as if he were trying to recognize him.

Either way, having Louis' eyes trained on Harry made him extremely nervous, yet he couldn't look away from him.

"Yeah, yeah, alright, Lou, I'm comin'!" He turned to Zayn and sighed apologetically, "I gotta go. But hey, see y'all on Friday?"

The three boys nodded and waved goodbye to Liam, who, when he reached Louis, clapped him on the shoulder and turned him away. However, as he was walking away, Harry could have sworn Louis turned his head to get another, long lasting glance at him before he rounded a corner and was out of Harry's sight.

* * *

><p>"Who was <em>that<em>?"

"That guy? His name's Harry-from London."

"London? The hell is a kid from _London_ doin' in Palmer?"

Liam shrugged at his jockey and best friend, "Dunno. Visiting family? Niall Horan's a distant cousin of his, or somethin'."

Louis Tomlinson nodded, clutching the reins of his horse as he and Liam walked down another path that led to the Palmer Ranch.

"Interesting."

"What is?" Liam asked.

"The guy. Harry. He's interesting."

"Why do you say that?"

"He was lookin' at me."

"So? He's new. He was probably lookin' at everyone. Plus," Liam added, "You are pulling around a big ol' horse. He doesn't see much of those in London."

I guess," Louis said, "It's just…I don't know. He was looking at me…like he knew me…or something. I don't know."

"I saw you two," Liam said, "You weren't helping his staring either, ya know. You were looking at him, too."

Louis shrugged and Liam nodded, giving Louis a wary eye, "But yeah, sure, it's interesting, I guess." The two boys were silent, and Louis saw Liam take something out of his back pocket. He handed it to Louis,

"What's this?" Louis asked, taking note that the item was a CD.

"It's Nickelback's new CD."

"I can see that. And you expect me to do what with it?"

"Listen to it."

"Why?"

"It's rough, but it gets you in the mood to race. You need to get back into that mood if you wanna go to McMinnville, Lou."

"I do want to go to McMinnville. I _am _in the mood!" The jockey defended.

"You've been off." Liam said sternly, petting the horse, "And so has Taz here. Taz isn't getting any younger…I know you've had him for a while, but you need to make the best of the time you have left with him."

Louis sighed dramatically; quite annoyed with the repetitive notions Liam has been drilling into his head for the past few weeks. He knew he was off on his racing, but he was working on it. It happens to all jockeys at some point.

He didn't need Liam telling him what he already knew 10 times a day.

"I know that." Louis began, "I'm getting better."

"I agree. But you need to get _better_ than that." Liam said with a sheepish grin, "I'm just trying to help you."

"I know."

"You can do it."

"I know."

"But seriously, listen to that CD while you work out, and just around the barn too. Maybe it'll even help out Taz."

Louis rolled his eyes, "You are out of your mind."

"That's why we're friends, ain't it?"

At this Louis laughed and shoved his friend, who pushed him back. This fighting went on for a few minutes and after the laughter died down, Liam spoke,

"But really Louis; You need to focus. This preliminary race in two weeks could be huge for you and your career. You need to do it right."

"I know," Louis said, "And I will. Don't ya trust me?" He teased.

"I do," Liam said seriously, "But I'm afraid you're gunna get distracted. We just got outta school and already you're getting thrown off!"

"By what?" Louis cried.

"That guy!"

"What guy?" Louis asked again, though he already had a hunch on who Liam would say.

"The London boy-the new guy!" He said, "You haven't even met him and already you're talkin' about him!"

"S—So? He's new—everyone is lookin' at him!"

"I didn't say you were lookin', I said you were _talkin_'! You haven't talked about a guy since…since…well you _know_ when."

Louis frowned, not particularly enjoying where the conversation was leading, "All I said was that he was interesting!"

"That's it! It's that word! _Interesting_. He can't be interesting to you now. Maybe later, like, after the first derby, but now? You need to _focus_. Ya hear?"

Louis did hear him. But that didn't mean he wanted to. At the same time, he didn't even know anything about this Harry guy.

Did that mean their lingering eye contact at the farmer's market wasn't burning in his mind? 'Cause Louis was sure it was all he could think about for their entire walk from the market. But he knew Liam was right—he did need to focus.

But did that mean he would?

Well, he'd just have to wait and see to find out.

"Yes, Liam," Louis said finally, smiling to himself at the thought of a pair of green eyes, "I hear you."

Yes, Harry was certainly interesting, indeed.


	3. Chapter Two

The karaoke bar, Harry noticed, was not what he expected. In fact…it wasn't really a bar.

It looked more like a club…but not your normal club.

It was surprisingly busy, with bright lights illuminating the small stage that sat in the front of the bar. There was a large dance floor that was in front of the stage, and Harry saw that there were many people dancing on it…however, they were in synch with each other in their dance moves. And they were dancing to a country song. It was something Harry had never seen before. Cowboy boots were stomping against the wood floor, and long hair was flipping in all directions as the women turned in time with the rest of the group. Men with cowboy hats were waving them in the air as they turned and stomped. They were whooping and cheering in time with the music. Harry, though he would never admit it out loud, was highly intrigued by it, and felt himself wanting to join in the fun.

He turned and tapped Niall on the shoulder, who was standing next to him,

"Hey, what are they doing?"

Niall's gaze followed Harry's pointed finger towards the dance floor and the blonde grinned, "Oh, they're line dancin'."

"Line dancing?"

Niall grinned, "Yeah! We all know the dance—it's pretty easy to pick up. I always do it when I come here. Well, actually, everyone does. It's a tradition. Why?" He asked, "You wanna try it?"

Harry shrugged, and looked away, but Niall caught his eye and he grabbed him by the arm, dragging him to the front of the dance floor. Niall looked towards the stage and caught eyes with Zayn, who was setting up his DJ equipment,

"Zayn!" Niall called.

Zayn nodded at him and smiled, and Niall called out again, "I'm gunna teach Harry 'ere to line dance. Put on that one song y'all like!"

"Fake I.D?" Zayn called out over the crowd.

"That's it!"

Zayn grinned and suddenly, the music that was playing stopped abruptly, and another, quick, banjo tone took its place.

"Come on, Harry!" Niall exclaimed, grabbing my arm and pulling me deeper into the dance floor, where more people were joining and clapping to the beat of the song.

"Just follow my feet. It starts off slow, but you'll be able to pick it up quick!" Niall said into Harry's ear, as the music began to pick up, "Just watch!"

The music picked up, and everyone started dancing around Harry, and he saw Niall join in with the step. He smiled at the blonde as he moved easily with the beat. Harry did as Niall said, following his footsteps slowly, and he thanked god that the X-Factor taught him a thing or two about picking up dance moves at a fast pace, otherwise, he'd be screwed.

After a few wrong turns and clapping at the wrong time, Harry finally got the hang of it, and he found himself smiling and laughing along with Niall as they danced **[0:43]. **

Harry and Niall continued to dance, and it was only when Harry lifted his gaze from his feet to grin at Niall, that a pair of crystal blue eyes met his.

Harry's heart thumped wildly in his chest as he recognized who was staring at him from across the dance floor.

It was _him_.

Louis made no sudden movements towards him, but he locked eyes with Harry, and it was very hard for him to turn away. However, being bumped into by Liam, who had joined in the line dancing, jolted him from his gaze and Harry noted that he smiled at his friend before joining in the dancing too.

Harry sucked in a deep breath, and it was when Niall caught his gaze that he shrugged and put on a fake smile before getting back into the steps again.

_Why does he keep looking at me like that?_

As Harry danced, he kept catching glimpses of Louis, who was smiling and dancing with the steps, too. He watched as Louis moved, and he couldn't help but admire how easy and how senselessly he was dancing. The moves came simply to Louis, as if he had been doing them his entire life. And though Harry had never seen him ride a horse before, just watching him dance, he knew exactly what Maura meant when she was first describing Louis.

He was incredibly _graceful_, it seemed, in everything he did.

Harry was so busy watching Louis move, that he didn't notice when he bumped right into Niall—

"Hey, what happened? I thought you had it down!" He exclaimed, trying to get his footing back in place.

"I do…sorry. I got distracted!"

Niall grinned and shrugged, "That's alright! Just don't stop, or else everyone will be bumping into ya!"

The song kept playing, and Harry could have sworn he caught Louis trying to catch his gaze again.

But why?

The song finally ended, and everyone clapped and cheered, some leaving the dance floor and others waiting for the next song to start up by "DJ Malik," as Niall liked to call Zayn when he was working.

Niall dragged Harry to a high table and ordered two drinks for them. When they arrived, Harry nodded gratefully to Niall and he held his glass up, speaking loudly,

"To a kick ass summer!" Harry laughed at his cousin and they clinked their glasses together, each taking sip of their drink. Harry took this opportunity to scan the club for any spot of Louis. But he didn't have enough time, as Niall placed his glass on the table and sighed happily, calling for Harry's attention.

Harry placed his glass on a coaster and shook his head at Niall, "I can't remember the last time I danced like that. Why didn't we do that when we were younger?"

Niall shrugged, "My mom thought we'd bust our heads on the coffee table. And your mom didn't think we were coordinated enough." He raised his arms, "But looks at us now! You picked that up pretty quick—I'm impressed."

Harry shrugged, "It's part of my job," He said quietly, leaning into the table so only Niall could hear, "If you know what I mean."

Niall nodded and his mouth formed the shape of an 'O', "Ohhhhh, right. I gotcha, bud."

Harry nodded and was about to say something else when a short, petite, strawberry blonde haired girl strolled up to the high table, not paying any attention to Harry and standing in front of Niall. She smiled shyly at him and blinked,

"H—hi, Niall."

Niall's eyes grew wide at the sight of her—as if she were the most beautiful girl in the world, "Oh, uh, hey, Mia! What—what are you doing here? I thought…I thought you went to live with your dad…!"

"Oh, uhm, yeah!" She said nervously, twirling a piece of her perfectly straight hair, "I did. But uhm, I came back for the summer, to see my mom."

Niall nodded in understanding and leaned back, "I gotcha. Well," He cleared his throat, "I'm—I'm glad to see you back."

Harry saw her nod nervously, and he took a sip of his drink, watching the exchange between the two in amusement,

"I saw you dancing before," The girl named Mia said, "You were really good."

Niall rubbed the back of his neck nervously, and Harry saw his cheeks flush with heat, "Oh, y'all saw that? It was nothin' really. Been doin' it for years. You…you would know. Don't you remember…that time we—we danced together?"

Mia's cheeks turned red and she looked down, shuffling her feet, "Yes—I—of course I remember. That was fun," She looked up and the pair smiled at each other, and Harry suddenly felt very awkward sitting near them, as they were looking at each other as if their eyes were only set on _each other._

It was very sweet, Harry had to admit, but it didn't change the fact that he was still sitting there. He cleared his throat awkwardly, and the two broke eye contact to look at him, and Niall's eyes grew big, as if he forgot Harry was there…or even existed.

"Aw shoot, sorry Harry. Mia," He said, pointing to Harry, "This is my cousin, Harry. Harry, this is Mia."

Harry extended her hand and Mia took it, "Nice to meet you," Harry said, and Mia grinned,

"Where did you say you were from? No one's got an accent like that here in Palmer."

Harry laughed, "I'm from London."

Mia nodded in understanding and turned to Niall again. She was about to say something when the music stopped and Zayn spoke on the microphone he had,

"Alright, y'all! No more of this dancin' for ya. Sorry!" The crowd groaned but Zayn held up his hands, silencing them, "But hey, we got some karaoke for ya! How does that sound?"

The crowd clapped and cheered, and Zayn read through a list in his hand and speaking into the microphone,

"Alright, then. Let's see…first up is…Mia Iverson! Come on up, Mia, don't be shy, now!" Zayn covered his eyes as he scanned the crowd.

Niall looked to Mia in surprise and she shrugged, "Well, that's my cue! See ya later!" Niall and Harry watched Mia leave the table and walk up to the stage, giving Zayn a hug and taking the microphone out of his hands. Zayn grabbed the extra one on his table,

"Alright y'all, give it up for Mia! She's singing The One That Got Away, by Katy Perry **[x]—**well well, singing to someone special, Mia?"

Mia flushed red again, as did Niall, and Harry felt as though he was missing something. Something he'd have to make sure he'd ask Niall about later.

"You could say that." Mia said, grinning mischievously at Zayn, who laughed, and started to play the back track to the song.

Harry was under the impression that karaoke was for those who couldn't sing—that it was for the ones who were drunk out of their minds and wanted to make complete fools of themselves.

Well, that night, Mia Iverson proved him wrong.

The music began and Mia began to sing, her eyes locked on Niall,

_Summer after high school when we first met  
>We make out in your Mustang to Radiohead<br>And on my 18th Birthday  
>We got matching tattoos<em>

Used to steal your parents' liquor  
>And climb to the roof<br>Talk about our future  
>Like we had a clue<br>Never planned that one day  
>I'd be losing you<p>

Harry glanced at Niall wearily, and saw him swallow a thick lump in his throat. His eyes were glued to Mia, and his brows were furrowed, as if he were trying to decipher a hidden clue in the meaning of the song.

Harry looked back to Mia and she moved around the stage, her eyes however, never leaving the blonde's light orbs,

_In another life  
>I would be your girl<br>We'd keep all our promises  
>Be us against the world<em>

In another life  
>I would make you stay<br>So I don't have to say  
>You were the one that got away<br>The one that got away

Niall shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but his eyes followed her every move and Harry leaned back in his seat, watching the sight before him. He was amazed that no one in the club had caught onto the unspoken interaction between the two. It was so obvious!

Now he _really_ had to ask Niall what was going on.

_All this money can't buy me a time machine (Nooooo)  
>It can't replace you with a million rings (Nooooo)<br>I should've told you what you meant to me (Whoa)  
>'Cause now I pay the price<em>

In another life  
>I would be your girl<br>We'd keep all our promises  
>Be us against the world<p>

In another life  
>I would make you stay<br>So I don't have to say  
>You were the one that got away<br>The one that got away

The song ended abruptly and everyone, including Harry, gave her a round of applause and cheered for her. She bowed and curtsied shyly and took a step off of the stage, and Harry saw Niall jump out of his seat out of the corner of his eyes,

"Niall?"

Niall gave Harry a frantic look and shook his head, "Don't worry 'bout me, Harry. I'll—I'll be right back!"

"Okay—" Harry began to say, but Niall was already at the other side of the club, following the sight of a strawberry blonde haired girl. Harry shook his head and smiled to himself and looked towards the stage, where Zayn was standing.

"Alright alright, settle down now, y'all. We still got a few more competitors for y'all to listen to. Ah, this next contender is new to Palmer. It's Harry Styles!"

Harry froze in his seat, his hands gripping the arms of the chair he was sitting on and his eyes wide with fear.

_Oh shit._

"Oh come on, Harry! Don't be shy! Hey, Billy," Zayn pointed to a man sitting in a side wing of the stage, "Can you get a spot light on a guy with curly hair—thanks—ah! _There you are_!"

By now, Harry had a full spot light on him, and everyone in the club was staring at him, their faces full of amusement. Harry would have sunk lower in his seat to hide…but there was no point.

"Hey Harry!" Zayn said, obviously enjoying the embarrassment Harry was enduring.

Harry, however, sighed heavily. _I'm always in the spotlight…this is nothing new._

He forced a smile on his lips and waved to Zayn, "Hi, Zayn."

Zayn grinned knowingly and pointed to the list, "You're up, buddy."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "I didn't sign myself up, Zayn."

"I know," Zayn's eyes flashed with mystery, "_I did_." At this the crowd laughed and called out "ooohs" and "aahhs" at the curly haired boy.

"Oh my god." Harry muttered, and he instantly thought of everyone in the club, including Louis—oh god, Louis—watching him and probably judging him.

"Come on now, Harry. Don't be shy. Hey, guys," Zayn addressed the crowd, "Let's give Harry here some encouragement here…show him we'll still like him even if he doesn't have a solid note in his body!"

Harry rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile as he got up and walked to the stage, listening to the crowd cheer and clap for him.

He had to admit, the attention, though unwanted, was always reassuring.

He climbed up onto the stage, shaking his hair and flipping it out of his eyes.

"Alright, Harry!" Zayn handed him a microphone, "So what are you singing tonight?" He asked him, pleasing the crowd.

Harry shrugged and smiled cheekily, "I don't know, Zayn…_you're _the one who signed me up for this."

Zayn laughed as did the crowd, and he gripped Harry by the shoulders, and faced him toward the dance floor, so he was facing the crowd. He could feel the bright lights on him, and he had to wipe some sweat off of his brow as his eyes adjusted to the brightness of the light.

"Here," Zayn said to Harry, handing him a separate list, "Pick a song from this list, and I'll play the backing for it!"

Harry moved the microphone from his mouth and whispered to Zayn, "I'm going to kill you for this, you know."

"No you won't," Zayn smirked, "I'm too likeable."

"We'll see about that." Harry threatened, but Zayn laughed and Harry looked at the song choices.

Harry frowned at the list, taking note of the mostly country songs that he did not know. His eyes scanned the list fast until he found one that he actually had heard of before, and he showed it to Zayn.

"Okay Harry, the floor is yours. He'll be singing Broken Strings, by James Morrison **[x]**!"

Harry saw the lights dim as Zayn began to play the music,

_Let me hold you for the last time  
>It's the last chance to feel again<br>But you broke me, now I can't feel anything_

When I love you and so untrue  
>I can't even convince myself<br>When I'm speaking it's the voice of someone else

Oh, it tears me up  
>I tried to hold on but it hurts too much<br>I tried to forgive but it's not enough  
>To make it all okay<p>

Harry noticed that the entire club was silent, and everyone was staring up at him, watching and listening to him sing. It's not like performing was anything new to him, but to perform in front of people who had never heard him before was…refreshing. In London, everyone knew who he was, and people didn't care if they screamed over his voice when he sang—because they had heard it over and over and over.

But here, in Palmer, no one had heard him. Everyone wanted to hear him…they wanted to appreciate him.

Harry smiled to himself, loving the feeling he was getting from this.

_You can't play our broken strings  
>You can't feel anything<br>That your heart don't want to feel  
>I can't tell you something that ain't real<em>

Oh, the truth hurts and lies worse  
>How can I give anymore<br>When I love you a little less than before?

He scanned the crowd now, looking for Niall, however, his eyes were, once again, met with Louis' soft stare.

He didn't know why he was so worked up over this guy…he didn't know anything about him at all.

And it scared Harry how much he wanted to change that.

_Let me hold you for the last time  
>It's the last chance to feel again<em>

Harry ended on a solid note and the crowd was silent for a brief moment before every applauded loudly for him. Harry grinned at Zayn, who shot him a thumbs up, before taking a bow and exiting the stage, waving to some of the girls who were now gaping at him.

He didn't realize, however, that three of those girls had been watching him the whole time, and planned on following him around the club, asking him way too many questions,

"Where are you from?"

"Why does your voice sound like that?"

"Your curls are so pretty. Why don't you let a southern gal like myself show you a good time."

Harry had dealt with these types of questions…and cheeky remarks, for over an hour, when he finally found a moment to excuse himself to use the restroom. The girls cooed at him as he left, only instead of finding a bathroom, he went for the nearest exit out of the building, figuring he'd find Niall later for a ride home.

Because there was no way in hell he was about to endure those girls and that shit again.

He pushed the exit door open, sighing when he realized he was in the alley next to the bar. He took a deep breath and pressed his against the door, closing his eyes and thanking the good lord that he was finally out of that place.

"So, I see you've met the Sandler Sisters."

Harry's eyes shot up at the voice, knowing instantly who it was.

He turned his head and saw Louis leaning against the side of the building, smiling at him. Harry noticed he wasn't wearing his jockey uniform; instead, he had on jeans, a white t-shirt, and Converse shoes on. Harry readjusted his posture and stood up straight, clearing his throat,

"How—how could you tell?" He asked shakily.

Louis smirked, "You came out here, looking like you were just manhandled…and not in a good way."

Harry chuckled and nodded, "Guess you can say that." He said, "So you know them, then?"

Louis rolled his eyes and nodded, picking up a pebble from the ground, tossing it up in the air and catching it, "Sure do. Kelsey, Karlie and Kourtney are _very_ well known in Palmer." He looked at Harry, "But I'm guessin' you know that now."

Harry nodded, "They must have a reputation."

"And it ain't pretty." Louis sighed.

"Is that why you're out here, then?" Harry asked, "Do they sneak up on you, too?"

Louis shrugged, "Every once in a while, yeah. But once I saw them I knew I wasn't completely safe, so I came out here until I saw 'em leave."

"You're smart," Harry joked, "I'll remember that next time they come after me."

"Glad to help." Louis grinned.

Harry cleared his throat and the two boys stood there awkwardly for a few moments, Harry wondering how what the hell he was supposed to say to this guy who he barely knew but was strangely attracted to.

Louis, on the other hand, was wondering how the hell he was stupid enough to rant on about the Sandler Sisters and not even give this guy his name. Though he knew perfectly well who he was.

"I'm Louis," He stuck out his hand, "Sorry, 'probably shoulda said that earlier." He chuckled.

Harry smiled in relief and gripped his hand, taking in the smoothness of his skin in the firm handshake, "It's alright. I'm Harry."

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"So what are ya doin' here? Your accent tells me you're not from the States." Louis asked, though he already knew. But he couldn't help but want to keep the boy talking, if only to hear his accent again.

Harry sighed, "I'm cousins with Niall Horan. I'm visiting him for the summer. I'm from London."

Louis whistled and threw the pebble up in the air again, "Sorry you have to downgrade from London to," He gestured with his hands, "This dull place."

Harry stepped towards him and shook his head, "It's not all too bad. I used to come here all the time when I was younger."

Louis lifted his head slightly, "What stopped you?"

Harry froze and swallowed thickly, already hating to lie to Louis…this guy, once again, that he barely knew, "Work got busy during the summer times back home."

"What did you do?" Louis asked, seeming completely interested.

Harry shrugged, "Work in a bakery. Making cakes. Yeah, summers were a busy time for us."

Louis nodded with an impressed look on his face and continued to throw the pebble, "Sounds fun. I'd expect you to say something with singin'," He paused, "You've got a good voice."

Harry smiled, "Thanks. It's nothing, really."

"Don't seem like nothin' to me. If I had a voice like that, I'd be usin' it somewhere. And not in this town."

Harry nodded and Louis smiled quickly at him and looked down sheepishly, dragging his feet along the pavement.

There were so many things Harry wanted to say to him, but they were all too controversial—he didn't want Louis knowing he was the talk of the town. And if he already knew that, Harry didn't want to reiterate the fact. He didn't want to push Louis away already.

And the fact that Harry didn't want to push him away was scaring the _shit_ out of him.

He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his curls, smiling when he thought of something to say,

"So what do you do around here?"

"There ain't nothin' really to do around here. Unless you own a store. In which case, you work there."

"But what do _you_ do?" Harry asked again.

Louis smiled knowingly, "Like you don't already know."

_Shit._

"W—What do you mean?"

Louis laughed, "You're living with _Maura Horan_, the town's gossip queen. I'm sure you know all about me by now."

"She does have a mouth on her." Harry commented, "And I know some things."

"Like what?"

"You ride horses."

"Go on," Louis said, smiling.

"You _race_ horses."

"Mmm."

"And you're really fucking good at it."

At this Louis laughed, "Is that what Maura said?"

"Pretty much." Harry smiled.

Louis nodded and shuffled a bit, stuffing his hands into his pockets and flipping some of his light brown hair out of his face, "I like the Horan's, they're nice people."

Harry smiled at the image of Niall's family, "I do, too."

"How long have you been here?" Louis asked.

"A few days." Harry returned.

"Has Niall shown you the field past Maple Street?"

Harry shook his head again, "I was told not to go there…something about Coyotes."

Louis sniggered, "That's a myth. I go there all the time—ain't never seen no coyotes."

Harry took another step closer to Louis, feeling a sense of excitement, "So what's really back there, then?"

Louis cocked his head to the side an intrigued eyebrow raised, "You wanna find out?"

Harry smirked and Louis grinned, but his smile faded when he saw three girls exit the club—the same girls that were attacking Harry from before.

"Oh shoot, that's—"

"Shh!" Louis hushed, placing a finger over his lips. Harry silenced and watched as the three girls walked past the alley and out of their sight. Louis and Harry breathed a sigh of relief,

"Right, so, are you in?" Louis asked.

"Huh?" Harry asked, confused.

Louis rolled his eyes, "You want to see what's past Maple Street, right? I—I could show you." Louis said.

"Oh. Yeah, yeah, I'm in." Harry said.

"Good," Louis beamed, "Meet me at The Maple Street at midnight tonight, okay?" Harry nodded in understanding and there was a voice calling his name,

"Louis? Louis?" It was Liam, "God damn, where the hell did he go?"

Louis rolled his eyes at Liam's voice and looked to Harry, "So midnight?"

"Midnight." Harry confirmed.

Louis began to walk away but turned around, "Hey Harry?"

"Yeah?" Harry answered.

"D—Don't mention to anyone what you're doing. And don't tell anyone you're doing it with me."

Harry heard the nervousness is Louis' voice and the hesitation in his eyes, and while in other situations he would question the person about it, with Louis, he simply nodded and waved when Louis rounded the corner and out of sight.

Once he was gone, Harry headed back into the bar, where he was sure Niall would question him about his whereabouts.

But he didn't care, and he'd lie straight to Niall's face, because nothing else mattered to Harry.

Except for the fact that he would be hanging out with Louis, by himself, in secret in just a few short ours.

_This summer_, he thought,_ is already looking better and better._


	4. Chapter Three

Hope you all like this chapter! Probably one of my favorites to write so far! :)

-RAY x

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><p>It was eleven forty five when Harry strategically popped the child lock that was on his bedroom window, as this was his attempt to get out of the house and meet Louis without anyone knowing. He shook his head as he examined the now broken lock, wondering why the hell Maura still had this window protected when her only son was over the age of twelve and no one ever slept in this room.<p>

He tossed the lock to the side and excitedly opened the window, feeling the soft breeze of the warm southern air. He looked down and noticed that while he was on the second floor, he wasn't exactly very high up. He stepped away from the window and turned off his bedroom light, his stomach fluttering with excitement at the fact that he was not only breaking an unmentioned rule, but he was going to a forbidden place…with Louis Tomlinson, of all people.

Harry smiled to himself; he was particularly excited about the latter.

He grabbed a light jacket from his suitcase and headed for the window. He decided jumping straight down and landing on his feet was probably the best way to go about this. He sucked in a deep breath and was about to lift his leg over the ledge when he heard a whisper from behind him,

"What in the _hell_ do you think you are doing?"

Harry closed his eyes and slowly turned around, only to be met with a slightly irritated Niall.

Harry gaped at him and swallowed thickly. _Fuck._

"Okay, listen, Niall, you can't tell anyone—"

"Tell anyone _what_?"

"I'm meeting someone." Harry said simply. Well, he wasn't lying.

Niall raised an intrigued eyebrow, "Who you meetin'?"

Harry closed his eyes, remembering the warning Louis had told him just as he had left the karaoke bar, "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I was told not to."

"By who?"

Harry paused and then smirked at his cousin, "How about this…how about you tell me what the deal with Mia was at the karaoke bar…and I'll tell_ you_ where I'm going and who I am meeting tonight."

Niall froze instantly at the sound of the girl's name and his eyes widened. Harry raised a vindictive eyebrow. He knew Niall wouldn't budge when it came to the girl—at least not right now, anyway. While he genuinely did want to know what the deal was, now was really _not_ the time for Harry to be negotiating.

Niall shook his head and Harry saw a blush creep up from his neck to the tips of his ears, "It's really nothin' with her. Really. She's just a girl I know from school. And then she moved and…it's nothin'. It was a long time ago. Nothin' to talk about, really."

Harry crossed his arms and smirked again. Harry could tell Niall was getting anxious, and he would bet everything he had it was because of Mia. Harry knew that the two had a past—but if he wasn't going to spill, then neither was he.

"Sure it's nothing," Harry muttered, "Well, since you won't tell me, I don't have to tell _you_ anything—"

"Wait, Harry! You're sneaking out!" Niall exclaimed.

"Yes I am."

"To meet someone?"

"Yes, we went over this." Harry said sarcastically.

Niall grunted, "Why can't you tell me who you're seein'? Why is it such a big deal?"

Harry shrugged and looked down, stuffing his hand into his pockets, "I said I wouldn't tell," He thought of Louis' worried look when he said this, "I promised him I wouldn't."

Niall frowned and ran a hand through his blonde locks, "There is only one person in this town that you shouldn't be caught sneakin' around with. And I _know_ you ain't seeing him, because that would be _stupid_…"

Harry shot him a knowing look, a _pleading_ look, and Niall's eyes widened,

"No…Harry, _come on_, you—you ain't serious, are ya?"

Harry looked down and nodded, making Niall shake his head,

"You gotta be kiddin' me! You're meetin' _the jockey_!" He cried, a little too loudly.

Harry made a beeline for his cousin at the sound of his voice, and placed his hand around his mouth to shush him, "Shh! You'll wake up the whole house!"

Niall pushed his hand off of him, "Don't do it, Harry." He warned.

"Why not?"

"The Mayor will have your head if he sees you two fornicatin' at night!"

Harry laughed, "Fornicating? Do people actually use that word anymore…?"

Niall shot him a frightened glance and Harry frowned, "They…they really use that word?"

"_That's not the point_!" Niall said in a hushed tone, "If you get caught, he'll get run out of the town, and you'll be as good as dead if the Mayor has anything to say about it."

Harry gripped his cousins shoulders and gave him a somber look,

"Listen, it's nothing serious; he's just showing me around the town." Harry lied.

"Why does he have to show you at this time of night? That just makes you look more suspicious, with you sneakin' out! And it's worse if you get caught!" Niall said.

"It wasn't my idea!" Harry defended, holding up his hands, "Louis said for me to meet him at Maple Street—"

"_Maple Street_? Harry, I told you not to go there—"

"We are just _meeting_ there!" Harry exclaimed in a soft tone, letting the lie spill from his lips, "He didn't say we were going to go past the tracks, he just said to meet there."

Niall gave him a suspicious look, "I don't want you going back there, Harry. It's dangerous! I've heard terrible stories about things that happen past Maple Street…"

"I know," Harry said reassuringly, "I won't go past the tracks, I promise. Just…" He said warily, "Just please don't tell anyone where I am, if they ask, alright?"

Niall groaned and rubbed his eyes, "I hate keepin' these secrets, Harry."

"I'm sorry," Harry said sincerely. Because, truth be told, he did hate having to make his cousin cover up for him. He actually enjoyed hanging around Niall, and he didn't want the blonde to think he was using him.

Niall rolled his eyes at the look of distraught on Harry's face, "Fine fine, I'll keep your damned secret."

Harry grinned, patted Niall on the shoulder, and made his way towards the window.

"Hey, wait!" Niall said.

"Yeah?" Harry said breathily.

"Do…do you have a _thing_ for Louis?"

Harry shrugged and smirked, "Dunno—I mean, no, I hardly know him."

"Doesn't mean you can't have a thing for him." Niall pointed out. Harry opened his mouth to protest and closed it again, having no argument to prove Niall wrong. Niall noticed his hesitation and grinned at the boy. He shook his head in amazement,

"Wow. For some reason, I feel like you're Cinderella."

Harry cocked his head to the side and Niall continued, "You know, you're sneakin' around with some guy, and I'm the only one who knows. It's like I'm the—"

"—Fairy Godmother?"

Niall nodded, "And the Mayor is like the evil stepmother." Harry had to laugh and shook his head,

"That makes _no_ sense. I don't even know the Mayor!"

Niall shrugged, "We should probably try and keep it that way." Niall muttered, "Just promise me you won't lose your glass slipper." He added teasingly with a wink at Harry.

"I promise." Harry said with a laugh.

"Oh, and make sure you come home at a decent hour—we got work tomorrow."

Harry said he would and Niall left the room, making sure to close the door behind him. He then tossed both of his legs over the window ledge, and jumped out, making a hard but secure landing on the grass outside.

He looked around nervously to make sure no one had seen him, and he made his way towards Maple Street, which was only two blocks away from Niall's home.

By the time Harry got to Maple Street, it was already two minutes past Midnight, and he was relieved by the sight of Louis, wearing the same outfit he had seen him in earlier, leaning against a white pick-up truck.

Harry gave Louis a weak smile as he approached him, finding it a bit dizzying to look at Louis when he looked so damn _pretty_.

It wasn't a secret to him that he found himself strangely attracted to Louis. He hardly knew the guy, but he thought that was what made Louis so interesting to him. He was like a blank canvas, waiting to be filled. And Harry wanted to learn more about him so he could paint that picture.

"You're late." Louis said with a slight chuckle, tapping his wrist watch.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Sorry, I got caught up at home."

Louis gave him a nervous look suddenly, his body tensing up, "Did you tell anyone where you were going?" He asked sternly.

"N—no!" Harry said.

"Did you tell anyone who you were _with_?"

"No, I swear, I didn't."

Louis looked him up and down, crossing his arms, "Al'right." He said, composing himself, "So…you ready?" He asked with a smirk.

Harry nodded and Louis turned around, unlocking his car and opening the door and motioning for Harry to get in on the other side. Harry did so and slammed the door behind him. He settled into his seat and pulled his seatbelt over his chest.

"So…where exactly are you taking me?" Harry asked

Louis smirked and turned on the engine and pressed the gas lightly, grinning as he drove right over the rail road tracks that were 'forbidden'.

"You'll see." The jockey said.

Harry narrowed his eyebrows, "Why do I feel like this is a trick." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

"How do ya mean?" Louis asked, turning right onto a dirt path.

"I mean you could easily be taking me to a gravesite you've buried for me," Harry teased, "How do I know you're not planning to kill me?"

Louis laughed and let his hand rest on Harry's head rest. He looked at Harry with his soft, blue eyes and raised an eyebrow, "Well the first part of my plan was to force you into my truck with candies," He smiled, "But ya came in willingly."

Harry sighed, "I should have known better."

"Damn right. Hasn't your mama taught you never to get into a big white truck?"

Harry laughed, "Sure she has. She never taught me what to do when the man driving the truck was _harmless_."

Louis laughed and smacked Harry's shoulder, "Asshole." He paused to laugh, "That was a good one."

Harry shrugged and laughed again. The two shared a smile and a short gaze at each other, in which afterwards they looked awkwardly away. Harry felt a butterfly or two creep up in his gut and Louis spoke,

"So you're cousin's with the Horan's?"

"That I am."

"But you're from London." Louis stated.

"Correct."

"That's weird."

"Sometimes I wonder how I'm related to them." Harry said as an afterthought.

"I'd wonder the same thing," Louis said, "I mean no offense, the Horan's are nice people, but you ain't look nothin' like them."

Harry shrugged, "We're distant cousins," He reminded Louis, "I try not to ask too many questions about our family tree."

"Don't blame ya." Louis nodded and turned another corner, smiling to himself as they drove up to a very long, wide and utterly _empty_ grass field.

Louis drove past the wooden fence and through a gate that led right onto the grass. The surface was bumpy, but eventually Louis stopped right in the middle of the field. He killed the ignition and looked to Harry,

"We're here."

"We are?" Harry asked, looking around for something that popped out at him.

"Yup, we are. Come on." Louis opened his door and slammed it, making his way for the bed of the truck. Harry got out of the car and looked around the darkness.

Louis returned at Harry's side, holding a bag in his hand and nodding forward, "Come on."

Louis walked to the front of his truck and placed the bag on the hood. He hoisted himself up to the hood of the truck, and scooted back so his back was leaning against the windshield.

Harry looked at him as if he were crazy. "What in the world…?"

Louis grabbed the bag and sat it in his lap. He looked at Harry and waved at him, "Come on then. Don't wait for the grass to grow."

Harry shot him a confused look, "What?"

"Get on top of the car, ya dolt." Louis smirked and Harry sighed, copying Louis' movements to get onto the hood of the car. He scooted back to sit next to Louis and stretched his legs,

"So…" He began.

"So." Louis said, smirking.

Harry leaned over to try to get a peek into the bag, "What's in the bag?" He asked.

Louis opened the bag and pulled out two beers, "You drink, Harry?"

"I do." Harry said, his mind wandering to the parties and club he was probably missing out on back home.

Louis handed popped open the beer bottle and handed it to him, "Then enjoy."

Harry grinned at him "Thanks."

"Sure thing."

The two sipped their beers in silence for a few moments, and Harry wondered what the hell they were doing in an empty field in the dark?

More importantly, what was Louis doing with him here? What was so exciting that Louis came out here all of the time?

It seemed boring as hell to him.

Harry looked up from his beer and saw that Louis was looking up at the sky, and that he was positioned comfortably on the hood of the truck.

"What are you looking at?" Harry asked.

"The stars." Louis asked simply.

Realization struck through Harry, "Is that what you do, then? You come out here and, and—"

"Stargaze?" Louis finished for him, now taking a moment to glance at him, "Yeah, I do. It's nice sometimes, to get away from everything and everyone. I come here by myself, drink a whole lotta beer and stare."

"Why do you come here alone?" Harry asked.

Louis chuckled, "Liam wouldn't like it if he knew I was drinking. And he'd think this stuff was stupid, anyway."

"You don't think_ I_ think it's stupid?"

Louis shook his head, "I'm not sure if you do. But that's 'cause I know you've never looked at the stars before."

"Sure I have." Harry defended. And it was true he had. He'd taken loads of girls out to 'stargaze' in a romantic fashion.

Louis tutted and shook his head, "Naw, you haven't seen them like _this_." He saw that Harry was looking down and his hand reached out for Harry's chin and lifted it so he was looking at the stars.

The sight Harry saw took his breath away **[x]**.

Living in London, with all of the lights and cars driving by, the stars he was able to see were very limited. But now, in an open field, with no light source for miles, Harry could see every star perfectly.

He stared at the sky with his mouth hanging open, and Louis grinned and took another sip of his beer, "Do ya think it's stupid now?"

Harry shook his head, his eyes never leaving the sky, "No, I think…I think it's _beautiful_. You don't see this in London."

Louis nodded, "I figured."

"Why did you bring me here?" Harry finally asked, the question burning in his mind.

Louis sighed, "I realized I didn't want to come here alone anymore."

"But why with me?"

"Why _not_?" Louis said clearly avoiding the question.

"Did you really just answer my question with a question?"

Louis laughed heartily, but nodded, "I guess I brought you here because, I don't know, I like you. You're a lot like me, ya know? An outsider. And I needed to share this secret with someone. Someone who was like me. I can't do it with anyone else in that fuckin' town, because they wouldn't get it," He looked up at the stars again in wonderment, "I had a feeling you'd get it."

Harry looked at Louis in shock, because he completely understood where Louis was coming from. He was new in this town, so he was the_ definition_ of an outsider. Since Harry knew Louis' story, he could only imagine the isolation he was feeling from the town. Granted, Harry hadn't seen any confrontation between the townspeople and Louis since he had gotten to Palmer, but he was sure it was not a pleasant sight to see when everything was going down between him and the Mayor's son.

And what was worse, was that it wasn't even like Louis could leave the town. According to Maura, if he wanted to race horses in the derby coming up, he had to stay in Palmer with his horse and his trainer. Harry knew it would be a hassle to move everyone from Palmer to another town for him to race.

Plus, Harry figured, the Mayor probably used that as a way to make Louis stay and train in Palmer. Harry remembered Maura saying something about the Mayor using Louis as way to make a name for the town. Harry scowled inwardly at the thought of someone making another person live their life in a place where most people didn't approve of their lifestyle choices. It made Harry sick to his stomach.

Harry saw Louis' eyes shift from Harry to look at the stars again. He sighed sadly and Harry felt a huge wave of sympathy wash over him for the jockey.

Harry looked back up at the stars too, "I do. I—I get it."

Harry saw the corners of Louis' lips turn upwards, "I knew you would."

There was a short silence between the two and then Harry looked to Louis again, setting his beer down on the hood of the car,

"How do you do it?"

Louis looked from the stars to Harry, "Do what?"

Harry shrugged and pointed to Louis' smiling lips, "That. Smile. How can you still be happy when you feel so…so…"

"Alone?" Louis finished for him.

Harry nodded and Louis shrugged before taking a big swig of his beer, "I don't know. I think it runs in my family—being optimistic and happy all of the time. Always gotta look on the bright side of things. It's the best way to live life—to just go on with a smile and be happy for the little things." Louis shook his head, smiling as if he were recalling a memory in his mind.

"I wish my family were like that." Harry muttered.

"Your family doesn't have to be," Louis pointed out, "It could always just start with you. It doesn't seem as though you live a horrible life, though."

Harry sighed loudly, taking another swig of his beer. _Oh, if he only knew._

Being famous in the UK for Harry wasn't terrible—the gig definitely did have his perks. But there were major downsides too; the late night working hours, the pressure he had from his management to be better, and the show he had to put on for the public—that was the main reason why he was in Palmer, and was the biggest downfall of them all.

He thought of his friends back home, who in truth weren't really his friends at all. They just used Harry for his fame and his VIP entrance into clubs. Back home, he pretended not to care—it was all for show, anyway. But now that he was here, in this empty space, where he was finally alone and left with his thoughts…he realized couldn't really name anyone from back home who was a 'true friend.'

While he did miss the parties and the girls and the boys like crazy, at the end of the day, was it all really worth it? Was getting drunk and hanging out with people who really didn't give a shit about him worth it?

"It's not too bad," Harry ended up saying, trying not to think of his home life now, "But everyone has that one thing that brings them down and makes them sad or bitter." Harry looked down with sad eyes and Louis took notice, giving him a wary eye but shooting him a small tug of the lips.

The jockey raised his beer and nodded, "Preach," He took a sip of his beer, frowning slightly at the sight of Harry still looking down and the bit of sorrow in his eyes, "You know what Harry?"

"Hmm?" Harry hummed.

"I say we make a toast," Louis announced, raising his bottle.

"To what?" Harry raised his bottle as well, and locked eyes with Louis.

"To bein' happy. Even in bad times. Just walk on by with a smile on your face and a tug in your heart. It's how I've been gettin' by 'round here. If I can do it, you can." Louis gave Harry a reassuring smile and their eyes locked again.

Harry felt his heart tug at the look in Louis' eyes. It was as if Louis really wanted Harry to be happy. And it amazed Harry that a person he considered a stranger not a few hours ago could suddenly turn into someone who made him feel special. As the minutes passed, Harry continued to feel a connection with Louis that he couldn't really explain. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to have an explanation right now, because it was honestly a feeling he knew he didn't want to go away.

Harry clinked his glass with Louis', actually feeling a weight off of his shoulders for the first time since he had been in Palmer, "To being happy."


	5. Chapter Four

Thank you all so much for reading this story! This chapter has over 7,000 words! Holy cow! Haha! I hope you all like it! If you read it on my Tumblr, it's split into two different parts. But on here I decided to compile it all into one bit chapter! Hope it's not too much of a hassle :)

Enjoy!

-RAY x

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><p>The sun was just coming up over the trees that were in the far distance of the field, and the sun rays were just bright enough that Harry's eyes blinked open when they grazed over his lids.<p>

He groaned and he sat up, feeling a hard surface underneath him instead of the warm, soft bed that he had been sleeping on the past few days. He blinked his eyes again, wiping them so he could get a clearer view of where exactly he was.

All he could see for miles were fields of grass, but right underneath him was the hood of a white truck.

And right next to him was the sleeping form of Louis, the town jockey.

Harry felt his heart settle as he watched the boy sleep peacefully next to him.

He had to admit, Louis was very attractive—and Harry would have thought him to be right out of the London streets with the look he had on him. And maybe this was why Harry felt such a connection to him in such a short amount of time.

It was just the day before that Harry had first really spoken to Louis. And how he went from just being an acquaintance of the jockey to waking up on the hood of his truck next to him was completely beyond him.

He knew he had a lot to drink the night before, but he knew nothing had happened between the two besides looking at the stars and falling asleep.

If anything more had happened, Harry would not have let himself forget it.

It was odd for Harry to feel so connected to Louis, considering he never had these types of feelings for any man or woman that he had met back in London. These feelings were new to him, and to say that he was scared was a drastic understatement.

Not only were Harry's feelings for the jockey coming at a rapid pace, but there was also the baggage Harry knew Louis carried; how could Harry possibly have anything with Louis when this so called 'Mayor' was watching his every move? How could Harry have anything to do with Louis when the Mayor was homophobic, and the town seemed to follow every belief he had?

Harry sighed loudly at the thought. He hadn't even _met _the Mayor yet and already he knew he was going to make his summer a living hell.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement and he whipped his head to see Louis jolting out of his sleep and sitting up. He wiped his eyes and ran a hand through his bed head hair. Harry chuckled and Louis turned to face him at the sound of his laughter,

"Hey." Harry greeted.

"Hi." Louis said, with a small smile. He looked around and nodded, "Sorry, I didn't realize—I wouldn't have—I didn't mean to fall asleep—"

Harry shrugged, "That's okay, I didn't mind, really?"

Louis smirked and gave him a look. "Really?"

Harry nodded, "Really," He reiterated, "It beats having to wake up to the sound of Maura singing "Ain't No Sunshine" after her husband's left for work."

At this Louis laughed and sighed, "That Maura is something else."

"I'll say." Harry agreed. The two sat in a comfortable silence and Harry started tracing little shapes on the hood of Louis' car. Back in London, Harry would have to force a conversation between his 'friends' because any type of silence would be heavily awkward.

But with Louis, everything was so easy. Harry could sit in this silence for hours and not feel anything was wrong with it. Because he was with Louis.

"Do you have the time?" Louis suddenly asked, jolting Harry out of his train of thought.

Harry looked to his watch and his eyes widened slightly at the time, "Its 8:30."

Louis' eyes bulged and he sat up straight, pushing himself off of the truck, "Shit. Shit. _Shit_!"

Harry looked nervously at him, "What's the matter?"

Louis groaned, "I'm late. And so are you."

"You're late—?"

"I have training at eight every morning with Liam," Louis said quickly, jumping off the hood of the truck and landing on the grass, "He's going to kill me when I show up at the barn. And you work at the farmer's market, don't ya?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"But nothin'. The market opens at eight, too! Your cousin is going to have a fit—"

"Why?" Harry asked. Though he knew showing up with Louis at the farmer's market very early in the morning would raise some questions, he wasn't sure what Niall would have to do with it.

"Because…just because."

"That's not a good enough answer." Harry returned,

Louis sighed and held out his hand to Harry, offering it to him, "Well that's all you gunna get for now," He extended his hand further when Harry caught eye of it, "Well come on, take it. We gotta go."

Harry sighed and took Louis' hand, and Louis pulled him off of the hood of the truck. When he landed on the ground, he felt Louis squeeze his hand and begin to let go, but Harry held on tighter,

"Why can't you just tell me what the deal with Niall is?"

Louis frowned, "It's nothing to do with you—"

"I figured."

"—It has to do with me."

"I also figured."

Louis grunted and let go of Harry's hand, making his way to the front door, "I ain't got time to tell ya right now, Harry. Just get in the car."

Harry sighed and frowned, but listened to the jockey and made his way to the passenger side of the car. He got in and buckled his seat belt.

"You know this isn't over, Louis."

Louis chuckled and shook his head, putting his keys into the ignition, "I know." He put the car in reverse and placed his right hand on the back of Harry's head rest. He gave Harry a sly grin and nodded,

"Hold on."

"What-?"

At that, Louis pressed his foot hard on the gas and the car began to whiz backwards. Harry gripped onto the 'oh shit' handle, and Louis steered the car back onto the dirt path and out of the field.

"Jesus," Harry said once they finally reached Maple Street, "I thought you were going to kill me!"

Louis laughed and put the car in drive, finally driving at a normal speed, "Now why would I do that when seein' ya freak out is much more fun."

Harry shook his head but couldn't hide his smile, "You're a jerk."

"And proud of it."

The boys shared a laugh and Louis continued to drive to the farmer's market, only he stopped a block short of it.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, "The farmer's market is—"

"I know where it is," Louis said with a small smile, "I just can't take you there right now."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you," Louis said sadly, "At least not right now." At this, Harry knew he was talking about the drama that went on last season with the Mayor's son and everything that went with it.

"Well when can you?" Harry demanded, "I feel like what we're doing is wrong, and I feel like you're hiding something, when you don't need to hide anything from me."

Louis sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He leaned back in his seat and looked at Harry, "In the eyes of the Mayor, what we are doing is wrong. And I am hiding something."

Harry frowned again, "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this Mayor."

"You wouldn't be alone in that," Louis muttered, "But you really do have to go. I'm sure Niall's waitin' for ya."

Harry nodded, "And you wouldn't want to piss off Liam any more than you probably already have."

Louis shrugged, "I can handle Liam." Harry hummed and began to get out of the car, but before he closed the door, he whispered,

"When am I gunna see you again?"

Louis shrugged sadly, "I don't know. This town is a complicated place Harry, though it may seem differently. I'm sorry I can't tell you more."

Harry's shoulders sagged. He knew why Louis couldn't tell him things—it was all understood no matter how jumbled it became in his head. But at the same time, he was still confused. Why would Niall have a fit if he found out he was with Louis? Harry had told Niall himself and he seemed completely fine with it…

…well, except for the part where he had warned him about the Mayor. But Harry would deal with that when the time came, or, if it ever did.

He looked into Louis' worried blue orbs and sighed, "It's okay. But I want to know more. You can't just take me to some field to look at the freakin' sky and then leave me high and dry!"

"That wasn't what I was doing—!" Louis protested.

"Then _what_ were you doing?"

"Look," Louis said sternly, "I promise—I'll swear it up and down—that when I find time, I will find _you_. And I will tell you everything. Okay?"

Harry took a deep breath and felt his heart swell at the prospect of seeing Louis again. And the fact that Louis had promised he would take time to look for him.

"Okay." Harry said simply, before he closed the door and Louis drove off, leaving Harry to find his way to the farmer's marker.

Harry found himself standing in front of the already busy farmer's market only a few minutes after Louis had dropped him off. He sighed, thinking ahead to the wrath Niall may or may not have on him when he got to the CD table, and walked through the farmer's market until he reached the a crowd surrounding the CD table. He heard guitar strings strumming and a solid voice ringing through the market. **[x]**

_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn  
>Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts<br>Just gonna stand there and hear me cry  
>Well that's alright because I love the way you lie<br>I love the way you lie _

Harry made his way through the crowd and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Niall sitting on the table, strumming a guitar, and Zayn front and center, singing with a soulful, melodic voice that Harry was sure he'd never expect to come out of him. Niall changed the chords to a faster pace, and Zayn sang up again, singing another song that Harry assumed was a part of a medley.

_I think you're pretty without any make-up on  
>I think you're funny when I tell the punch line wrong<br>I think you get me, so I let my walls come down, down_

Before you met me, I was a wreck  
>But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life<br>Now every February you'll be my valentine, valentine

_Let's just fall into the night  
>No regrets, just love<br>We can dance until we die  
>You and I, we'll be young forever<em>

You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
>The way you turn me on, I can't sleep<br>Let's runaway and don't ever look back  
>Don't ever look back<p>

Niall changed the chords again and he caught Harry's eyes. He nodded his head and smiled, gesturing to Zayn. Harry gave Niall thumbs up and the song changed again,

_Cause tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again  
>Cause tonight, the DJ got us falling in love again<br>So dance, dance, like it's the last, last night of your life, life  
>Gon' get you right<br>Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh my god_

Harry noticed Niall eye's trained on a person in the front of the crowd, and he pushed past people in the crowd only to see Mia, the girl from the club, also with her eyes glued to the blonde. Harry shook his head, promising himself he was going to ask Niall about this girl when they got home. She seemed very much interested in him, in fact, he seemed just as interested. But there was something else about her—why else would Niall hesitate to talk about her or to pursue her? Sure, he was shy and a bit naïve, but Harry knew he was also a goal setter—and when he wanted something, he went and got it.

So what was so different this time?

_Every time I close my eyes  
>I see my name in shining lights<br>Yeah, a different city every night  
>Oh, I swear the world better prepare<br>For when I'm a billionaire, when I'm a billionaire_

_Can we pretend that airplanes  
>In the night sky<br>Are like shooting stars  
>I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now<br>Can we pretend that airplanes  
>In the night sky<br>Are like shooting stars  
>I could really use a wish right now, wish right now, wish right now<em>

_Because your love, your love, your love is my drug  
>Your love, your love, your love<br>Because your love, your love, your love is my drug  
>And I love, I love, I love<em>

_I love the way you lie_

Niall strummed the last chords of the song and the crowd cheered and wolf whistled, Harry included. As the crowd began to disperse, Harry made his way to the front of the table, earning a wary eye from Zayn,

"Where have ya been? You're almost an hour late! When Niall said you weren't home we thought somethin' had happened to ya!"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but just as he was about to, Niall approached, his face red and his arms crossed,

"Where in the _hell_ have you been?" Niall exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air and letting them rest on his hips, "You said you were gunna to be back early enough so we could go to work together. And then this mornin' you weren't even in your room! I had to cover for you and lie to _both_ of our moms-!"

Harry was surprised by how angry Niall was. His cheeks were flushed, his light blue eyes were narrowed, and his hands were now balled into fists. Harry had never seen the southern boy so much as get a hint of anger—so this was new to him.

Harry sighed, "I told you where I was…I told you last night—"

"Last night! You were with that jockey all night-?"

"The_ jockey_? As in…_Louis _the jockey?" Zayn spoke up now, and Harry deadpanned, flashing Niall an angry look. Niall had noticed what he had done and ran a hand through his hair, a hint of worry on his face.

"Niall!" Harry exclaimed, "I told you not to say anything…" Harry muttered.

"Zayn won't say nothin'—"

"Won't say _what_?" Zayn asked, now getting in the middle of the two boys and giving them questioning looks.

Harry gave Niall a pleading look, but Niall shook his head,

"You might as well just tell him."

"—Tell me _what_?"

"I can't. I promised I wouldn't. You're not even supposed to know."

"—Supposed to know _what_?"

"You know I hate keepin' secrets, Harry!" Niall said.

"—WHAT'S THE DAMN SECRET?"

Niall and Harry both looked from each other to Zayn, who was as confused as ever, "What the hell is the matter with you two! Can someone please tell me what's goin' on!"

Niall gave an expectant look to Harry, who shook his head at Zayn, "I can't—"

"Oh to hell you can't. You've already told Niall, who woulda told me eventually. So you might as well give it up now." Zayn returned, now crossing his arms.

Harry groaned and looked to Niall, who shrugged and waved his hands encouraging him to go on. Harry sighed and looked to Zayn,

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone. Seriously," Harry muttered, "Louis made that pretty clear."

"I can imagine," Zayn muttered, "So al'right then, what's goin' on?"

Harry took a deep breath, "I met him past the tracks on Maple Street last night."

Niall and Zayn gasped and Niall spoke, "You told me you weren't going there!"

"I lied."

Niall groaned and wiped his forehead, giving his cousin a disappointed look, but Zayn patted his friend on the shoulder and looked to Harry,

"Okay, fine, so you went past the tracks. At least you made it out alive. No coyotes attacked you, then?"

Harry ponded whether he should tell them that there were no coyotes past the tracks—that it was all a myth, like Louis had said. But at the same time, that was one of the only things he and Louis shared—that knowledge of what was really beyond the tracks. And that was something he wanted to hold onto…it was something that was just his and Louis'. And he wanted to keep it that way.

"Nope," Harry finally said, "No coyotes last night, at least."

"Great," Zayn said, "So why were you even with Louis in the first place?"

"He asked me to go with him." Harry said simply.

"And you said yes?" Zayn asked.

"Obviously."

"Why? You hardly know the guy."

"I know, but…but I don't know. I wanted to go. I—We wanted to go. He wanted me to go. And I wanted to go with him."

Zayn gave him an amazed look, "Well look at that, Ni. Looks like Harry 'ere is datin' the jockey!"

"Shh!" Niall shushed, covering Zayn's mouth with his hand, "Don't say stuff like that out loud! Especially about Louis! Remember what happened last time-!"

Zayn pushed Niall off of him and shook his head, "I do know what happened last time. And it was a whole bunch of fuckery! Who cares if a guy is in love with another guy—you love who you love, and it shouldn't matter a damn!" Zayn stomped his foot in protest and Harry had to smile, loving Zayn's enthusiasm on the matter.

Harry nodded and Niall spoke, "I know. I feel the same way—but the Mayor has a lot of power in this town. I just want to make sure Harry knows what he's doing. Even if he is datin' the jockey—"

"We're not dating, guys," Harry said quickly, "We just hung out-!"

"And what did you do?" Niall asked, "What did y'all do that took all damn night?"

Harry shrugged, not really wanting to answer—partly because he was a bit embarrassed, and also because he wanted to keep things between Louis between just the two of them. He didn't know why he was so protective over Louis and what they did, but he felt like he needed to be a barrier between what they did and the rest of the world. It was a bit terrifying.

"We just hung out! It's really not a big deal. You both are making too big of a deal out of this. I will handle it." Harry said in his most convincing voice.

"I don't know, Harry," Zayn said steadily, "I mean, if you like Louis as more than a friend, that's all fine and dandy with me, but it might not be for others here. And if the Mayor finds out about what you and Louis did last night—even if it was just hangin' out—with Louis already bein' watched by everyone… I just agree with Niall. You needta be careful. The Mayor is a powerful guy, and after what happened last season…I'd be afraid of what else he could do. And I don't want you to be his next victim."

Harry frowned, feeling terrible for Zayn having to warn him like Niall had the night before, and even worse for Louis, and the horrible predicament he was in with the Mayor and the town. He could tell now that he was an outcast in the town, and for him to have to live here under the Mayor's complete control was an outrage in Harry's eyes.

"I know," Harry began, "And thank you both for looking out for me. But we will both be careful. I promise. You guys don't have to worry about me!"

Zayn and Niall gave each other questioning looks before a large shadow cast over them. The three boys looked up and were met with a tall, skinny man with blonde hair and dark eyes. His hair was neatly placed on top of his head, and his white suit and blue tie contrasted nicely with his demeanor. Harry would have thought of him as royalty had they not been in such a small, rinky dink town. While Niall and Zayn's eyes narrowed, Harry looked up in slight confusion.

"Hello boys." The man said, smiling a pearly white, professional and forced smile.

The two boys muttered a slow and low 'hello sir,' and Harry's breath caught in his throat as he put two and two together.

He wasn't looking at any ordinary man—the way Niall and Zayn had called him 'sir'…no, no ordinary man at all.

This was the Mayor.

The Mayor looked at Harry and gave him the same smile,

"And you must be the Harry Styles everyone in this town has been talkin' about!" The Mayor extended his hand and Harry, having learned through his own management that it is polite, no matter what you've heard about them, to take an extended hand, let his hand fall into the Mayor's and he shook it firmly,

"I am. And you are…?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am Donnie Carson—the Mayor of this town."

"Ah," Harry said, "I've heard much about you."

"And I about you," Donnie said, "Heard you were quite a hit at the karaoke bar last night. You got a set of pipes on ya!"

Harry was confused by the kindness Donnie was giving him, especially upon hearing that, in lamest terms, he was a downright asshole. Because from what Harry was experiencing, despite what he had done last season…he wasn't a complete jerkoff. At least… not yet.

"Thank you, sir," Harry said politely, "It's just a silly hobby of mine," He lied easily again, remembering that no one in the town knew of his real occupation in London, and that he wanted to keep it that way.

"Yes, I can see," Donnie said. He turned to the Niall and Zayn, "I was actually just on my way looking for the pocketbook booth—my wife wants a knockoff Coach—and I was hoping y'all could point me in the right direction?"

Zayn had given the Mayor instructions, awkwardly and almost fearfully, and Donnie nodded,

"Well thank you!" He turned back to Harry, "Well Harry, it was a pleasure. I know you're spending your summer here, and I do hope you enjoy your visit. If you ever need anything, I live in the big white house, just before the tracks on Maple Street."

Harry's heart dropped.

Maple Street? So, the Mayor could have seen or heard Harry or Louis just the night before…

Niall, Zayn and Harry all shared nervous looks, and the Mayor straightened his tie and cleared his throat,

"And also, my house is in the center of town—so it is quite easy to find, should you need anything."

"Maple Street," Harry said in a questioning tone, "Do you live _right _by the tracks, or down the road from them…?"

The Mayor hummed and stared straight at Harry with almost a knowing look, "Right by the tracks, son. So close, in fact, that I can hear anything and anyone that crosses or passes it!"

Harry sucked in a deep breath and Zayn patted Harry on the shoulder, noticing his worried expression,

"Al'right then! Well, Mayor Carson, if Harry needs help gettin' to your place, I'll be sure to take him there!" He said, and the Mayor nodded, smiling forcefully,

"Of course." He looked to Harry and extended his hand again. Harry took it and almost winced at the hard, threatening grip he had on his hand, "Nice to meet you, Harry." The Mayor said.

"Likewise," Harry peeped out before the Mayor let go. He nodded once again at Zayn and Niall, "Boys, always a pleasure."

"Yup." Niall said, nodding.

"See ya." Zayn said, waving at the Mayor as he walked away.

Once Donnie was out of sight, Harry let out a large sigh, clutching his chest as if he hadn't breathed in years. Niall and Zayn placed a hand on each of his shoulders,

"You okay?"

"What the hell was that about?" Niall asked worriedly, "Do—do you think he knows?"

"I don't know." Harry managed to choke out.

"But how could he?" Zayn asked, "Y'all went late at night, didn't ya?"

"Yeah but Louis has a white pick-up—those things make a whole lotta noise! He might have heard 'em!"

"Yeah but he would have done somethin' by now if he really saw 'em!" Zayn argued, trying to keep Harry calm.

"Harry?" Niall finally asked, "Are you alright?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head.

If the Mayor had heard Louis' truck cross the tracks last night and this morning, he was sure he knew Louis was with him last night.

And that would be so bad. Not only for himself but even worse for Louis. He wasn't sure what would happen to him, but he was sure whatever it was, it would be ten times worse for Louis.

And Harry didn't want anything bad happening to Louis because of him. And he didn't want Louis to get the brute for something as stupid as sneaking out and hanging out with each other.

Harry turned to Niall and Zayn who still had concerned looks on their faces.

"I'm screwed, guys."

Liam leaned against the door of the barn while sitting on the last bar of a wooden fence, perking up a bit when Louis' big white truck finally came into view; his tires creating dust out of the dirt path he was driving on. Liam jumped off of the fence, and crossed his arms, sending Louis a death glare as he parked and jumped out of his truck.

Louis approached Liam with a sheepish smile and a tentative voice, knowing he was in trouble for being late, "H—hey Liam."

"Seriously?" Liam asked interrogatively, "You're going to walk to training, more than an hour late, and all you're going to say is '_hey_'?"

Louis cringed at Liam's harsh tone and shrugged, "I'm sorry—"

"To hell with your sorry! We have a schedule, Louis. What's the point in having one if you are just going to fuck it all up? Do you want to win this?"

Louis was silent, as if the question was rhetorical, but Liam asked again, "Do you _want_ to win this derby? Is this what you want? Because if it's not, we can stop right now, drink all of that beer I _know_ is in your damn truck, and call it a day."

Louis, knowing the wrath Liam could have on him, nodded his head and smiled,

"Of course I do, Liam," He answered truthfully, "But I'm still young—"

"We're the same age, Louis—"

"And if I'm goin' to be an hour late—then sue me, okay? It was one time! I still have a lot of time to win a derby."

Liam sighed and ran a hand through his short light brown hair, "I know it was one time, Lou," He said calmly, "But you ain't ever late. And to say I was worried about you is an understatement. Where the hell were you?"

Louis shrugged and looked down, his racing boot kicking a random pebble that was on the ground, "Don't worry about it." He muttered, his mind racing through images of Harry and the night they had last night.

"Don't _worry _about it? You're tellin' me to—to not—are you out of your damn mind? You are my jockey, Louis. I train you so you can kick ass in your races and make it to the big times. But if you're going to be late, and then tell me not to worry about the reason why, then what kind of trainer am I that you can't even tell me that?"

Louis felt a pang of guilt sweep through him at Liam's words. It wasn't that he didn't trust Liam—because he did. They were best friends, if Louis ever had one, and he trusted Liam with most things in his life.

What he did last night, however, Louis knew would stir up a whole lot of commotion that Louis wasn't ready or prepared to deal with.

He knew meeting up with Harry was not in his best interest.

He knew even talking to Harry was probably not the best idea, either, especially after what had happened with Sam—

"Louis!"

Louis was shaken out of his thoughts by Liam shaking his shoulder, "What is goin' on with you?" Liam asked, "Tell me what's goin' through your head."

Louis sighed and ran a hair through his very messy hair, "A lot is."

"Like what."

Louis frowned, "You have to promise not to get mad at me. Like seriously, promise."

Liam nodded and urged Louis to continue. Louis wiped his brow and sighed, "I…I went out last night—"

"No kidding, you _reek_ of Corona and lime—"

"I went out at midnight—"

"The hell-?"

"With that new guy, Harry."

"Oh my _god_."

"Don't freak out—" Louis warned, but it was too late.

"Louis, what is the fuckin' matter with you! You…you met another guy? Now? At _night_? Especially after what happened with Sam? Are—are you tryin' to get us kicked out of the town? Are you tryin' to throw everything you've worked so hard for away? Because if you are…it's workin' like a charm—"

"Liam—"

"—and you don't even _know_ this guy Harry! You know nothin' about his motives. What if he's workin' for the Mayor? What if he's tryin' to dig up dirt on you to mess up your derby? What if-?"

"Liam!" Louis shouted, placing firm hands on his frantic friends' shoulders, "Liam, relax—"

"I won't 'relax' until you tell me what you plan on doin' with this Harry kid," Liam demanded, "You know I don't care about you barkin' up _that _tree, but I do care when it comes to you, your trainin', and your reputation in this town—"

"—Well that ship has gone and sailed—"

"—You may like Harry," Liam said knowingly, and Louis sighed, "And that's fine. But you need to be careful, too. If you get banished from this town because you're hangin' around this kid, and it fucks up your chance at a derby, that won't be just on your dumb ass, it'll be on mine, too."

Louis frowned and swallowed thickly. Damn, he hadn't even thought of Liam…

"And I love ya to death, Lou—you're my best friend, and I'll support you in whatever ya want—but this is life changin' here. This is what you say you want. Don't let some guy, who you don't know, and who will be gone in a few months, ruin your chances of somethin' that can get you out of here and live your own damn life."

Louis and Liam shared a look. While Louis knew Liam was right, he didn't necessarily want to listen to him.

Because that would mean giving up Harry.

He knew it sounded crazy—to feel like you have to give up someone you've only known for a day for something you've known your entire life and actually feel bad about it. But he couldn't help it. There was something about Harry he couldn't quite place his finger on, but he wanted to know more about it.

They both had secrets, Louis could tell, and he wanted to know what Harry's were. In fact, he was itching just to see the curly haired boy and ask him a bunch of questions. He was just so interesting to Louis. If he weren't, he wouldn't have asked him to go to the field with him in the first place.

In short, he just wanted to spend more time with Harry. But he knew that was an impossibility unless they agreed to meet in secret at night, when most of the town was in a deep slumber. But he couldn't deny that he would take the risk if it meant seeing Harry.

Louis hummed, "What if I don't want to?"

Liam blinked and stared at him, "You _can't_ be serious. Louis, you've only just met him—"

"I know—"

"And you hardly know him—"

"I know—"

"Are you really willing to let everything go for this guy?"

Louis sighed but ran a hand through his hair, "I can't answer that right now."

"Oh my god."

"Just don't worry about it—I'll deal with it on my own."

"You tried that last time—look how great that turned out—"

"Liam…" Louis warned.

"No!" Liam protested, "You need to be told this. This is a cycle. It first happened with Sam, and now it's happening with Harry. Don't get him exiled from the town—"

"—Sam was already leaving to _go_ to school…"

"—And the Mayor had him shipped off faster than you can _ride a horse_!" Liam's cheeks were flushed and he groaned, dragging his hands down his face. He started pacing, and then after a few moments, he stopped and faced Louis,

"Look, I know I'm just your best friend, and that you probably ain't gunna listen to me one bit. But please, if you're gunna keep this thing goin' with Harry, you need to watch your back. I'll be there as much as I can, but there isn't much I can do anymore…"

Liam's words drifted and Louis pulled his friend in for a hug, careful to make sure no one was watching them,

"I know, I know." Louis whispered, understanding that the things he did had an effect on his best friend and trainer, "But I'll be okay. This thing with Harry," He said as he pulled away, "It's new. And I just want to get to know him. I'm not making any big gestures, here."

"Well, that's good." Liam said, finally letting a smile creep through his lips. Louis nodded and grinned back, pointing to the barn.

"How's Taz?"

Liam's smile brightened at the turn of conversation and he walked over to the entrance of the barn, "He's been waiting all mornin' for ya."

Louis laughed and walked into the barn, smiling at the sight of his beautiful horse, Taz. It was moments like these—when he saw his horse in the most vulnerable and quiet moments, that Louis fell in love with being a jockey all over again.

"Hey buddy," Louis said, petting Taz, which earned a sigh from the horse. Liam leaned against a fence and crossed his arms,

"It's a shame ya can't ride him this mornin'"

Louis' eyes narrowed, "Why can't I? I'm here, ain't I?"

Liam nodded, "But it's already 10 o'clock, the other trainers and jockeys will be here soon. But don't worry, you can still come at night and train, if ya want."

Louis took note of Liam's hopeful look and nodded, "Yeah, 'course."

"Great! Alright now, say goodbye to Taz and go home. I gotta take care of some stuff in the office." Liam went to leave and turned before exiting the barn, "Say hello to your old man for me."

Louis nodded and watched as Liam walked away. He kissed the side of Taz's head, "Bye Taz, I'll be back later to train a bit, okay?"

Taz whined in protest and Louis petting him again, "I know, I'm sorry I wasn't here this morning. Something…or someone…came up."

The horse didn't make a sound but Louis continued, finding that talking to something that couldn't talk back was always nice, "His name is Harry," Louis whispered as he stroked Taz's mane, "I just met him yesterday. We went to the field. You know, that one I take you to sometimes? I think he really liked it, and I liked having someone else there with me.

"You don't think he's workin' with the Mayor, do you Taz?" Louis whispered, Liam's words finally sinking into his brain. "How could he? The Mayor has no connections in London…why would he use Harry, the Horan's _cousin_, for shit's sake…? And—and Harry wouldn't do that to me. At least I don't think he would. He…he just ain't like that. What do you think?"

Taz let out an enthusiastic nay, and Louis grinned lovingly at his horse. He paused for a moment, thinking about the night before with Harry, and how easily they got along, and then continued,

"I know it's bad for me to do. I know I shouldn't do anything with him, especially with what happened with Sam…but I can't help it. Is that bad?"

Taz huffed in response, and Louis smiled, "I think it might be, but I think what's worse is that I don't really care. I'm guessin' you'd agree, huh?"

The horse whined in response and Louis patted him one final time, "Al'right Taz, I gotta go. But I'll be back later." He kissed the side of his head and left the barn. He hopped into his truck and made his way back to his house, his mind still clouded with the events of the previous night.

The drive to the Tomlinson ranch was a ways from the ranch and the center of town, as Louis lived on the outskirts of Palmer.

After twenty minutes of driving past fields of horses and cows, Louis finally reached his quaint but lovely home. He parked his car in the driveway, and smiled when he saw the taxi car already parked in its normal parking spot.

Louis jumped out of the car and went into his house, feeling comforted by the sight of his father seated on the recliner in their living room, watching an old football game on their television.

"Hey Pop." Louis greeted, kicking off his riding boots and wiping his hands on his white riding pants.

Mark Tomlinson looked up from his seat and grinned at the sight of his son, "Well hey there bud! You're home…late." He said with a hint of humor.

Louis smiled sheepishly and went into the adjoining kitchen, "I went out last night."

Mark smirked, "I noticed. What did ya do last night? A call woulda been nice to tell your old man you wouldn't be comin' home."

"Sorry, I got…distracted."

"By what?"

Louis frowned. He hated lying to his father—the only other person here besides Liam who gave a damn about him—but if he told the truth, he would just get the same interrogation and lecture he had gotten from Liam.

"Well I went out to the karaoke bar, and met a few people there."

"Are you talkin' about those damn Sandler Sisters? I swear, they are _always_ up your—"

"Dad!" Louis laughed, "No, it wasn't them. They had a new target last night, anyway," Louis smiled, remembering how the Sandler Sisters were the reason he and Harry got to talking in the first place.

Mark nodded in understanding, "Was it the new kid? What was his name—Harry! Right? Yes, I picked them up from the airport when they first arrived."

Louis' eyes widened and he walked back into the living room, "Really?"

"Sure did. They called a taxi service and I was covering Andy's shift that day…why, you know him?" Mark asked.

Louis cleared his throat, "Sure, yeah, I met him last night."

Mark hummed, "Nice family there. Good people, you should get to know him—he probably doesn't know anyone besides his damn cousin." He smiled at Louis, who sighed.

"Yeah, maybe…" Louis' voice drifted off, the guilt seeping in again, and Harry's eyes shining in his mind.

The two sat in silence for a moment, and Louis could feel his father looking at him—as if he knew something he didn't. Louis looked down guiltily, and Mark spoke up,

"Are you sure there's nothin' you wanna tell me? You're awfully quiet for someone who went out last night and seemed to have a damn good time…"

Louis gave him a tight lipped smile, "No, yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Don't you worry about me," Louis patted Mark's balding head, "You and I both know we have bigger things to worry about."

Mark sighed sadly and nodded, scratching where Louis' hand had just been, "Yeah you're right." A sentimental, meaningful pause went by, and Mark sighed sadly, "You know son, if there is somethin' goin' on with you—you know you can tell me, right? I know your mom and sister's ain't here anymore, but—but that don't mean I won't listen to ya."

Louis nodded curtly, feeling his throat close up and tears brim his eyes. He hated talking about his mother, and what she did to him and his dad. And he hated it even more when his father felt the need to remind him that he cared about him—because Louis knew that his father loved him more than anyone in the world. He didn't need to be reassured.

"I know, Pop."

Mark smiled sadly and went to get up, but he heaved, coughed heavily, and fell back onto the recliner, attempting to regain his breath. Louis rushed over to him, helping him ease into the chair and Mark laughed,

"You know, they keep tellin' me this damn medicine is workin', but I only seem to be gettin' worse."

Louis sighed, mentally cursing who ever decided to give his father an almost incurable illness at a time when he probably needed him most, "You'll be alright, Pop." Louis muttered, if not to comfort his father, then to comfort himself.

"I know I will be—I'm a Tomlinson, I don't back down to nothin'. You remember that when you're racin' in that derby, son."

"I will, don't worry."

"Good," Mark cleared his throat and looked down sadly, "Speakin' of…has…has she-?"

Louis shook his head sternly, knowing exactly where his father was going with the conversation, having had the same one over and over like a broken record, "No, she hasn't called. And I doubt she ever will. And why would she? She has no reason to talk to the son who ruined her life—"

"Hey!" Mark exclaimed, "Don't say things like that. You are _not_ a life ruiner—"

"Not according to her."

"She doesn't know what she's sayin', Lou."

Louis crossed his arms, "She seemed pretty sure when she up and left, takin' my only sisters with her!"

At this Mark didn't say anything, like he always did at this point of their redundant conversation. So Louis took the opportunity to continue, "You know, I almost hate how you're waitin' for her to come back. She's not goin' to, and if you miss her so much, why don't you just leave-?" Louis could feel his blood boiling—he _really_ hated talking about his mother. It always made him say things he didn't mean—and it made him feel terrible when it was because of a person who didn't care for him as much as she claimed for 19 years of his life.

How could a mother just walk out on her child in his time of need? It was a question Louis had always asked himself, and it was probably one he would never get an answer to.

But it only made him love his father that much more—because he had refused to leave his side.

Mark dragged a hand down his face and groaned, "I didn't leave because you are my _son_, Louis. I love you, and I will love whoever _you _decide to love. Because you are my blood, and nothin' you do, or say, will ever change that for me. And I don't want you to think for a second that I will walk out on you. If I do," He rubbed his balding head, "It won't be willingly, alright? You are perfect just the way you are, and _fuck it all_, I am damn proud of you for being who you are and not being afraid to show it. And I love you for that."

Louis sighed and bent down next to his father's recliner, "I know, I love you too, Pop. But I can't help but still feel like she left because of me. And she left you. I'm—I'm…"

"Don't you _dare_ say you're sorry, Lou. She didn't leave because of you—she left because of her prejudices. It's her fault, not yours."

Louis smiled and shook his head, "I'm so lucky to have a father like you."

Mark sighed and ruffled Louis' hair, "I know, I'm one helluva guy. I'm the best dad a kid can have." He rolled his eyes playfully, "Now, stop makin' me get so damn emotional and make me a sandwich. I haven't eaten in a few hours and I'm on a medical schedule, kiddo."

Louis laughed and kissed the top of his father's bald head before making his way towards the kitchen.

He had battled a lot in the past months, with the town and the Mayor and the general distaste of the townspeople. Before, it had made him afraid of even trying to have a relationship with anyone but the people he already knew. But Louis felt, after talking to his father, more reassured about his friendship with Harry. He realized how much his father's words meant to him, and how accepting he was of him.

It only made him want to pursue Harry more.

So pursue him he shall.


	6. Chapter Five

It was well after 7 PM when Harry, Niall and Zayn had closed shop at the Farmer's Market and were walking back the Niall's house.

Harry had to admit, that while working over the summer was no fun, working with Zayn and Niall wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He hadn't known it, but Zayn and Niall, when they weren't busy (or just wanted to get a crowd going) sang songs in the tent.

And Harry was incredibly impressed with the talent the boys' possessed—he never would have guessed such a thing would come from two boys who lived in such a small, deserted town.

"You know, Zayn," Harry commented as they walked down Main Street, "You've got a really decent voice on you."

Zayn chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging, "Thanks…though, I think I'm better behind the scenes—you know, workin' karaoke night. It's a lot of fun doin' that."

"It does look that way," Harry pointed out, "But I think you're still a great singer. Your voice is really something I've never heard before, even in London! It's something special… you should consider singing for karaoke night!"

Zayn's eyes widened in surprise and he shook his hands frantically, "But—but what about Niall? Zayn asked, pointing to the blonde, "He plays guitar _just as well_ as you think I can sing!"

Harry turned to Niall and gripped his shoulder excitedly, momentarily forgetting about Zayn (which eased him) and focusing his attention on his cousin, "Yeah mate, I didn't know you played guitar! When did _that_ happen?"

Niall sighed and smiled lightly, "I've been playin' for a while now. But I play a bunch of other stuff too; guitar, piano, drums, triangle…"

Harry snorted, "The _triangle_?"

"It's an _art_, Harry!" Niall protested, and Harry laughed at his enthusiasm and continued,

"Guys, this is awesome! We could all perform at karaoke one of these nights!"

Zayn and Niall gave Harry a wayward glance and Zayn spoke, "You…you really think we're _that _good?"

"Of course I do, and I know what I'm talking-!" Harry said before stopping himself, almost spluttering out the fact that he _knows_ what talent is, due to his fame back in London. But he remembered that no one was to know of his little secret. And he'd love to keep it that way, _especially_ from Louis.

Speaking of the jockey, the three boys were now walking past Maple Street, and just about to be parallel with the railroad tracks. Harry's heart fluttered in his chest and his heart raced at the memory of him and Louis just the night before at the field. It was still so crazy to him how he had only spent a small amount of time with him, yet he couldn't get him off of his mind…

In that moment, he thought his feelings were splattered on his sleeve, but thankfully, Niall and Zayn were too transfixed in their own discussion about performing at karaoke night to notice the slightly flustered Harry.

Niall and Zayn gave each other looks, and Harry stared at them hopefully. Finally, Niall gave in,

"Oh, alright, fine! I'll do it!"

Harry shot an expectant glance to Zayn, who rolled his eyes, "Me too, then!" Zayn said, grinning from ear to ear.

Harry clapped his hands and wrapped his arms around the two boys' shoulders, "I'm telling you, it will be awesome. You guys have a hidden talent; I'd suggest you show it off!"

Niall and Zayn laughed, and Harry began talking with the two boys about possible song ideas for the next karaoke night, which was only in a few days.

After a few more minutes of walking, talking, laughing, and Zayn hitting Niall over the head ("For the last time, I will not sing _I Feel Pretty_ from West Side Story!"), the three boys finally reached Niall's house, where Maura was anxiously awaiting them on the porch, with her hands on her hips and her eyes glaring at them as they walked up the wooden steps.

"Oh, _there_ you boys are! Niall, it's almost 7:45, I know it only takes _twenty minutes_ to get from the market and back to this house, and your shift ends at 7:00. You wanna explain to me what took y'all so long to get back? I was more than half worried sick about y'all!"

Niall went to open his mouth, but the haughty woman held her hand up, silencing him, "Don't you dare attempt to talk back to me young man!" She pointed a finger to the doorway, "Now in, all of you! There's dinner for you on the table."

The boys, seeing Maura's cheeks grow redder by the second, silently deciding not to argue and get her more upset, simply briskly walked past her and into the house, and Maura slammed the door behind her as she entered the house.

Harry walked into the kitchen following Niall and Zayn, and was greeted with an amused smile from his mother,

"What are you smirking at?" He asked playfully.

She took a sip of the tea she was holding in her hands and shrugged, "Nothing. You know how Maura is—just worried about you lot, is all. And you were late."

Harry mumbled something and sat down in front of his dinner. Anne shook it off, placing her cup on the table and picking up an envelope off of the counter,

"Harry, dear, this envelope came for you."

"For me?" Harry asked. He was sure he hadn't given anyone the address to where he was staying to anyone…so how could anyone possibly find him? And an even better question…who would want to contact Harry?

Sure, he had a lot of friends back in London, but he never got the indication that any of them would actually miss him. He was always under the impression, as his 'celebrity' friends were his only friends, that they would remain as strictly the 'friends' he hung out with for public attention. And_ nothing_ more than that.

So to see a letter from an address that was in London…well, one could say "shocked" was an understatement in Harry's case.

He looked up to his mother, who shot him a look—a look Harry knew meant that getting this letter wasn't particularly a pleasant thing.

Mother's instinct, he supposed.

"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" Anne asked.

Harry, still holding the envelope and staring into space, was snapped out of his gaze by his mother shaking his shoulder. He turned to Niall and Zayn, who were oblivious and were stuffing their faces with Maura's cooking. Harry sighed and looked at the return address,

_The Coolest Dick On The Planet (aka Ed)_

Harry snorted at the name, thinking of his red headed 'friend', and ripped open the back of the envelope. He pulled a single sheet of paper out of it and unfolded it, shaking his head with a smile as he recognized Ed's chicken scratch he liked to call handwriting:

**Harry,**

**You're missing out on some fucking awesome shit, dude. I've gotten so much ass these past few days you've been gone, it's insane. Stay wherever you are for a while, yeah? Leaves more women for me.**

**Anyway, I got this address from your management. You sort of disappeared and I wanted to if you were abducted by some of your crazy fangirls and forced to join an orgy (and if you were invited, I'd be pissed off at you because you **_**didn't**_** invite me. Wanker.)**

**Where the **_**fuck**_** are you, anyway?**

**-Ed. **

Harry frowned, but didn't have time to further his thoughts, for Niall was suddenly peering over his shoulder, looking questioningly at the letter,

"Who's that from?" He asked with his mouth stuffed with cornbread as he spoke.

Harry shook his head, folding up the letter and trying to rid his mind of the fact that his friends back home weren't really his friends at all. He turned to Niall,

"Someone from home. It's nothing, really." Harry said curtly.

"Don't seem like nothin'." Niall said falsely, "You miss your friends from home, don't you?"

Harry saw insecurity burn through Niall's eyes, and Harry suddenly felt oddly guilty.

"I…" He began, not really sure how to respond, "I guess so."

"I know this place ain't nothin' like it is in London," Niall began, "and that you're friends ain't nothin' like me and Zayn, but I hope you'll stick around for a little while longer."

Harry was taken aback by Niall, who was showing a side he had never seen before. Harry had always known Niall was shy and quiet, so it was different for him to see the blonde so open with him, even if it wasn't the biggest gesture.

But now that he thought about it, Zayn and Niall would probably always be way better friends than the friends he had back in London…and he had only really reconnected with Niall and become friends with Zayn in just the past few days. It was strange to Harry how so much had changed for him in such a short amount of time.

Harry's thoughts drifted off to Louis for a brief moment, until a loud clatter of silverware on the plates jolted him out of his thoughts.

His green eyes met Niall's, who was now sitting across from him, and Harry smiled,

"I do like it here, Niall. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I actually came back."

A grin broke out on Niall's face and Zayn smirked, "So, you're not leavin' anytime soon?" Niall asked.

"'Course not, why would I?"

Niall looked down sheepishly and shrugged, and Maura came bouncing into the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron,

"Well, boys, you will not believe what I heard today!"

Zayn smiled in appreciation, while Niall just rolled his eyes, completely immune to his mother's gossiping ways. Harry, however, perked up, hopeful that the things Maura heard had something to do with Louis.

…like they almost always did.

"What did you hear?" Harry asked as Anne took the seat next to him.

"Well," Maura began, excited that someone had taken an interest, "I heard that Louis, the jockey, and his trainer, got into it over at the ranch this mornin'."

Harry almost spit out the tea he had just began to sip, and Nial and Zayn exchanged nervous glances at each other. Harry covered up easily by clearing his throat, and no one noticed his tiny slip up.

Were Liam and Louis fighting about…about him?

"What were they fighting about?" Harry asked as smoothly as he could.

Maura shrugged, "From what the owner of the ranch told me, Louis apparently was out last night and he was late to his training this morning."

Harry felt his heart drop, and his mind instantly went to the worst.

_Shit, Liam knows Louis was with me last night._

_I'm the reason he was late. It was me._

_Liam is going to hate me._

_And then the Mayor will hate me._

_And then eventually, Louis will probably hate me too._

_And after that, I'll end up leaving and never seeing Louis again._

_Wow…_

"…I swear that boy needs to get his head into the game if he wants to win that derby comin' up!" Maura's announcement made Harry jumped, and Niall kicked him under the table with a look that read, 'calm the fuck down.'

Harry nodded curtly and turned to Maura, who had started talking about the ranch owner ("I'm tellin' you boys, that man is surely spendin' more time at that ranch than with his own wife!"), and got her attention,

"Do…do you know who Louis was with?"

Maura's eyes gleamed but she shook her head, "No sugar, I don't know a thing about that. All I know is that Liam suspected he was drunk when he got there. Said he smelled of beer or somethin' like that. The kid can't be drinkin' when he should be trainin'! He's lucky the mayor ain't hear nothin' of this!"

Harry sucked in a breath at the mention of the mayor, praying to whatever God there was that nothing like that did happen. He saw Zayn give an apprehensive look at Niall and the blonde nodded in understanding, moving to get up with their plates.

"Hey ma, we'd love to chat more, but Harry, Zayn and I need to talk about the work for tomorrow."

Maura swallowed some of her chicken and pointed her fork at her son, "Alright boy. Don't be makin' too much noise up there now. And go to bed at a decent hour, will ya?"

Niall nodded, "Of course ma'. Good night." He said curtly, before grabbing Harry by the sleeve and dragging him out of the kitchen and up the stairs with Zayn following closely behind. When they reached Niall's room, he slammed the door behind them and Harry sat uneasily on the bed.

"Okay, so, do you want to explain to me what _that_ was all about?" He demanded.

Zayn and Niall exchanged nervous glances again, and Harry called them out on it, "Could you two stop giving each other weird looks and just tell me what the_ hell _is going on?"

"I've already warned you about this, Harry," Niall said slowly, "But now you really need to be careful. If my mother is starting to hear things about Louis and you—"

"But she hasn't! And she won't! I told you we'd be careful!" Harry turned to Zayn for back-up, "Zayn, you know I'll be careful, right?"

Zayn bit his lip and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I—I don't know, Harry."

"That's bullshit!" Harry demanded, "I'm not doing anything with Louis! I don't see the harm in just talking to him! I still can't grasp why it's such a crime!"

"Because Harry!" Niall exclaimed in a hushed tone, "That's just how things are here!"

Harry eyed Niall, Louis' words from that morning about Niall springing back into his mind….

_What does Niall have against Louis, and why does he need to keep warning me about him? Did Louis have a point when he said he had a problem with him?_

Harry looked up at his cousin, whose ears were red and cheeks flushed. Harry took a deep breath,

"Niall…do…do you have a problem with Louis?"

Niall looked taken aback, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "No, of course not."

Harry went tight lipped, "Then why are you still lecturing me about him? I told you everything will be fine!"

"Apparently it won't be, Harry, if the Mayor finds out about it! You can't go past the tracks anymore—the Mayor lives right by them! He can hear you guys! Donnie Carson is a dangerous man, Harry. He can and will do bad things to you. He's threatened my father's shop multiple times for the dumbest shit. I can't imagine what he will do to you over_ this_!" Niall cried.

"So you're worried I will fuck up everything for your family if I continue to see Louis?" Harry snapped.

Niall sighed heavily, "Yes, I'm sorry. But you're made of money, Harry. And we here aren't. We need my pop's shop if we wanna keep livin' here."

Harry took a moment to think about Bobby Horan, who, quite honestly, was never home enough for Harry to have taken notice. Bobby owned the local Gun and Pawn Shop, and believe it or not, he actually made quite a bit of money, even after hunting season was over. Harry remembered the summers he would spend with his cousins, and how Bobby would sometimes bring Niall and Harry to the shop and how many times the boys would get in trouble for even coming within 15 feet of the guns that lined the walls.

Harry smiled at the thought, and almost wished that Bobby had more time to spare at home—he knew Niall missed his dad when he was working, and Harry sort of missed him too, even though they had hardly exchanged words since he had arrived. Bobby worked late at the shop, and Harry understood that, but he also realized that the Horan's needed the shop to keep a roof over their head.

Harry shot Niall and apologetic look and frowned, "I'm sorry Niall. I didn't realize it was that big of a deal. But…but I don't know if I can just stop hanging out with Louis."

Niall groaned and gave him a pleading look, but Harry continued, "Niall, I promise we will be careful. It's not like I'm doing anything with him. Hell, I don't know if this is even going to go anywhere."

Niall rolled his eyes, "It doesn't matter—he's a target in this town! If the Mayor finds out you're associated with him, I swear, you will be slaughtered in this town."

Harry threw his hands up in the air, "It shouldn't matter! Why is this town so god damn outdated in its ways? _This isn't the seventies_! We are in the 21st century for crying out loud—people are breaking the norm every day, why should this place be any different?"

"It's just how things are here, Harry! I can't change it!" Niall exclaimed. Zayn rushed to his side and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder,

"Listen, Niall. I understand your problem, but Harry will be gone in four months to another country. He said he'd be careful. And Louis is careful too. Just…let them be, okay? Don't worry about your father. His shop will be fine."

Niall eased at Zayn's touch, and he sighed heavily, taking a seat in the chair next to his bed. Harry patted him on the shoulder and he smiled softly, "I'm sorry, Niall."

Niall shook his head and waved his hand, "It's fine. Just, this better be worth it."

Harry shrugged, "I think it will be."

Niall smiled slightly and Zayn spoke up, breaking the uneven tension in the room, "Pal, you should stop worrying about Harry and your old man, and focus on you and Mia."

Harry nodded enthusiastically while Niall's smile grew, and the curly haired boy shoved his shoulder playfully, "Yeah mate, what's going on with her, you never told me what happened, and all I've seen is that awkward conversation you two had at karaoke."

Zayn shot Niall a look, "You actually talked to her?"

Niall rolled his eyes and dragged a hand down his face, "Yes, I did. I thought you knew that, since you saw her at the club!"

"I saw her," Zayn pointed out, "Don't mean I saw you two talkin'! What did y'all talk about?"

Niall mumbled something incoherent and Harry patted his shoulder again, speaking for his cousin, "It wasn't anything special—just the generic 'hello,' 'how are you,' type of conversation."

Niall groaned and Zayn looked at him sympathetically, "Oh Niall…"

"What! I can't help but get nervous around her!"

"She's only been gone a few months-!"

"She's been gone for a full school year, Zayn," Niall snapped, "…at _least_ one-hundred and eighty days—"

"You've been counting-?"

"I—Uh—"

"You've been counting the days since you last saw her? Oh Niall, that's so…so…"

"Pathetic?" Niall finished for him.

"No…it's adorable." Zayn said.

"I'm confused," Harry finally chimed in, "What happened with you and Mia?" Harry asked Niall.

Niall and Zayn looked at each other, and then Zayn looked to Harry,

"If you want to know that story, you'd have to go back to Prom of last year."

"I'm listening…" Harry urged Zayn on, but Niall spoke,

"I asked Mia to Prom last year. We had all been friends throughout high school, but I had always liked her—"

"Oh please," Zayn cut in and looked to Harry, "Niall's been in love with her since the seventh grade."

"Zayn!"

"What?" Zayn asked at Niall, "It's true!"

Niall pinched the bridge of his nose and directed his attention to Harry, "Anyway…I had always liked Mia, and asking her to Prom was a pretty big deal, ya know?"

Harry nodded and he continued, "So when she said yes, I was really excited, because I didn't think she actually would.

"So then the night of Prom came, and we danced a few times, and, I don't know Harry, that spark had always been there for me, and that night, I knew it suddenly came to her too. Like, she knew, just like I did, that we were supposed to be together—it just felt so right."

"Gag me." Zayn snorted.

"Shut up, Z. Just because all you do is 'hump and dump'—"

"I don't appreciate that term, I look at it as—'I sleep with them and then set them free of my troubled ways."

"Oh shut up."

"Whatever."

Harry laughed at this exchange, finding Zayn to be a bit like his friend Ed in his womanizing ways, and Niall continued, "So after the Prom, there were a few after parties, but Mia told me she wanted me and her to be alone. So I went with her to her Daddy's farm."

"It's pretty big," Zayn chimed in, "One of the bigger ones in the county."

Niall nodded, "Yeah, it is. Anyway, we went there in my pick up, and we ended up going out to the bed of it and laying down there. And it was really nice; we were just talkin' and laughin' and stuff. And then it got really quiet, and then all of the sudden, I kissed her."

"Way to go, Niall!" Harry said, clapping his cousin on the back.

"Well…we ended up doing _more_ than just kiss, Harry."

He gave Harry a knowing look, and it took Harry a few moments to get the hint, "Oh…_oh_! So you two…" Harry made a gesture with his hands and Niall nodded, his cheeks flushing red,

"Yeah, we did. She…we were each other's firsts." He grinned at the memory and looked down at his hands, and Harry squeezed his shoulder,

"Awwwwwwww, that's so cute!" He said teasingly, and Niall smiled up at him,

"Yeah, well, it was all fine and dandy—I was ready to ask this girl to you know, be my girlfriend and whatnot, and then all of the sudden, she tells me she has to _move_—"

"Yeah, why did she have to leave?" Harry asked, already knowing Mia moved from eavesdropping on her and Niall's conversation at the club.

Niall sighed, "Her parents got divorced, and her Mom works a lot with her job or somethin', so her Dad took her north to live with him. And I guess she's back to visit her mom."

Harry grinned, "Do you think anything will happen with her?"

Niall shrugged, "Don't know. It's the summer—lots of crazy shit goes down during the summer, especially in the south." He turned to Harry, "You ain't seen nothin' till you've been to a derby."

Harry's thoughts instantly were drawn to Louis at the mention of a derby, and he nodded, "Oh yeah? Guess I'll have to go to one, then."

"You sure will," Zayn said, "They're crazy. Especially when people start bettin' on other horses—most bets from Palmer go to Louis, though. Actually, almost everyone's bets go to Louis," He turned to Harry, "He's good at what he does."

"I bet." Harry said, suddenly turning crimson.

Niall and Zayn laughed, but were interrupted by Maura yelling from downstairs,

"Zayn! Your mama's been callin' you for the past twenty minutes! I suggest you get your butt down here and ease her nerves before she pulls her hair out!"

Zayn rolled his eyes and stood up, "That's my cue, y'all. I'll see you tomorrow at work."

Zayn left the room and it was only a few more minutes later that Maura was calling after the other two boys, forcing them to clean up the kitchen and then head off to bed.

The two boys looked at each other and groaned before standing up and walking downstairs, waiting to see what kinds of crazy chores Maura had in store for them.

* * *

><p>At half past 11 o' clock, one would find Harry lying on his bed about to drift off to sleep. He knew everyone else in the house was always in a deep slumber, and he knew Niall passed out immediately after he and Harry finished their chores just an hour ago.<p>

The chores Maura had him and Niall doing were absolutely nuts, in Harry's opinion. Harry had to give Niall some credit—if he had to pull weeds and scrub the floors every day after dinner like they just did, Niall was most definitely the definition of a saint.

Just as Harry's eyes were about to droop closed from exhaustion, he heard a tapping at his window.

_Tap tap!_

"What the-?"

_Tap tap!_

Harry stood up from his bed and looked out the window, and his heart leapt at what he saw on the lawn.

Louis was standing at the bottom of his window, pebbles in hand, and waving at him. Harry smiled and opened his window, and he poked his head out,

"What are you doing?" He called out in a hushed tone, careful not to wake the neighbors or his family inside.

Louis simply grinned childishly, "I told you I would find you, didn't I?"

Harry felt heat rise in his cheeks, and was thankful it was dark so that Louis didn't see his blush. However, he laughed,

"Do you want me to come down then?"

Louis nodded, "Yeah, hurry!"

Harry went back inside to turn the light off in his room, and then went back to the window to make sure the child lock was popped off. When he made sure it was, he climbed out of the window just as he done the last time, and landed on the ground with ease.

He and Louis walked to each other, and when they met, Louis smiled breathlessly,

"Hi."

"Hey." Harry returned.

"You said you wanted to know about me, right?" Louis asked softly.

"Yes," Harry returned, and Louis turned towards the street and to his truck.

"Well then follow me!" He said cheekily, and as he began to walk towards the main road, Harry followed closely behind him,

"Where are we going?" He asked hurriedly.

"To the field!" Louis said simply as he reached his car and opened the door for Harry to get in. Harry sighed but climbed into the truck, very nervous about having to drive past the Mayor's house.

"You alright?" Louis asked as he put the car into drive and drove away from the Horan's house.

"Yeah, m'fine. I just don't get why this has to happen at night…" Harry said, crossing his arms.

Louis sighed and let his hand rest on the back of Harry's seat, "You'll know more when I tell you."

Harry nodded and the rest of the ride to the field was relatively quiet. When Louis drove past the Mayor's house (which Harry was now able to identify) he prayed the truck didn't make any sudden loud noises or something that would wake the house and cause a scene.

Thankfully, nothing like that happened, and Louis finally drove the truck onto the field they were at just the night before.

Louis climbed out of the truck and so did Harry, and the two boys met in front of the truck. Louis was the first to speak,

"I figured this would be the safest place to explain things to ya."

Harry nodded, "Okay, I'm listening." He had a small smile placed on his lips and Louis sighed heavily,

"Okay, well, there's a reason people in this town don't particularly like me. Maura's probably already told you, but, I wanted to tell you myself."

"Why?" Harry asked suddenly. Sure, he felt a connection to Louis that even he couldn't explain, but he didn't expect Louis to feel the same thing. Especially with the logic of their situation—they hardly knew each other.

Louis, however, shrugged and couldn't help but smile, "I don't know. I want to tell you. Is that a bad thing?"

"No," Harry said quickly, "I was just curious."

Louis nodded and cleared his throat, "So, I wanted to tell you what happened last season."

Harry blinked and Louis continued, "Well, to start…I'm gay, Harry."

Though Harry knew this fact since he had first arrived in Palmer, to actually hear it from Louis himself almost scared Harry. Hearing it from Louis made it absolutely _real_. And while this only furthered gave Harry hope that he and Louis could be more than friends, that fact also really scared him—because being with Louis, apparently, came with _a lot_ of consequences.

Louis was looking at him with wide eyes, and a sense of fear that Harry had never seen from him before. The jockey swallowed thickly, and Harry smiled slightly at how adorable Louis was when he was nervous,

"I know." A pause, "Me too."

Louis looked up at Harry and the jockey gave him a look, "You _knew_?"

Harry nodded, "Yes, among the many things Maura told me, you being gay were one of them. And it's okay if you are. I mean, there's nothing wrong with being gay."

Louis shook his head in disappointment, "But you don't know the whole story."

"I know enough," Harry said, "The whole story is just _details_ to me."

"It can't be that way—not in this town. Here, details are everything…people hold onto them and use them against you."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, "Okay, fine, that may be true—this town is small and ridiculous. But with me it's different. It doesn't have to be that way."

Louis laughed sarcastically and looked up at the stars, shaking his head, "Will you just…indulge me? Let me tell you the story?"

Harry gave Louis a look, but saw the instilling fear in his eyes, and nodded anyway, just because he had asked,

"Okay, fine, you can tell me."

Louis shifted and wrung his hands, "Okay, so, I only admitted to myself I was gay two years ago, right in the middle of high school. And I only told four other people: my two parents, Liam, and Sam Carson."

Harry nodded and Louis continued, "Sam and Liam were fine with it, and so was my Pop. But my Mom wasn't. She…" Louis paused to collect himself, and it took everything in Harry's power not to reach out and touch him, "My Mom hated me for it—called me an abomination and all that. So basically, she took my four sisters and moved to the other side of the state. And…and we haven't really heard from her since.

"My dad stuck with me through and through, though, and he still has. And I love him for that. Liam stuck by me too, but Sam," Louis smiled thoughtfully, "Sam knew exactly what I was goin' through, 'cause he came out to me a few days later. And then, soon enough, I started datin' him.

"It was all in secret, 'course. No one besides Liam knew we were seein' each other. Donnie Carson sorta has the same mindset as my Mom when it comes to that stuff. Don't matter if we're their children; they'll leave us high to dry should we embarrass them with our sexuality and what not.

"So eventually, me and Sam got caught kissin' out in public. It was stupid, but the Mayor caught us, and me and him got into in the town square, in front of everyone. He called me a faggot, I called him some other things, and then he almost banned me and my Pop from the town. But then Sam stepped in—he said he'd rather leave the town, 'cause he was goin' to college up north anyway, and he said I should be allowed to stay, to make a name for this town with my racin'.

"Donnie agreed, sayin' he never wanted to see his gay son again, and this was the perfect way for that to happen. So the next day, Donnie made a few calls, and Sam was shipped off to NYU."

Harry breathed deeply, taking in the entire story. He hadn't known about Louis' mother, and he felt horribly for him. No mother, Harry had concluded, should ever abandon their child, especially in their time of need.

Harry made a mental note to thank Louis' father for never leaving his side. At least there were some tolerable people in this damn town.

Louis was now looking at the ground, and Harry cleared his throat, which made the jockey look up,

"I'm sorry all of that happened to you, Louis. You don't deserve it." Harry said softly.

Louis shrugged and smiled sadly, "I know. It's okay, I just…thought you should know all of this 'bout me…'cause I like you, Harry."

"I like you too, Louis." Harry said seriously, his heart fluttering from his chest and into his brain, which he was pretty sure had turned into mush at this point.

Louis grinned for a moment, but then his smile faltered, as did Harry's when he saw Louis,

"But I'm pretty sure that's why your cousin doesn't like me—I'm a bad person to be friends with. I'm like poison in this town. One look at me and Donnie will have you written off like it's nothing."

Harry shook his head in defense, "Niall does like you! He's just…worried!"

Louis rolled his eyes, "So you told him about last night, didn't you?"

Harry nodded, "He caught me sneaking out, and wouldn't let me leave until I told him where I was going."

Louis sucked in a nervous breath, "And he won't tell anyone?"

"No," Harry said quickly and reassuringly, "He won't. I promise you. I swear."

Louis' let his shoulders relax at Harry's words, and Harry continued, "And you know, I still don't care about what happened to you in the past. It doesn't change the fact that I like you."

Louis sighed, "I understand that, but I know Niall doesn't approve of…whatever this is. And…and…it's so weird we are even having a conversation like this, because we just met, but I can't help it."

"Well, I think it's stupid that I'm new to this town yet I have to abide to all of these rules. It's a free country. And you shouldn't have to be confined to something that isn't you. You are who you are. And I like that we're having this conversation…it shows that we care."

Louis shook his head, "It doesn't matter who I am. It doesn't matter to Donnie, so it doesn't matter to anyone else in this town, because people follow him like he is the freakin' President." He paused, "The only two people that care about me in this town are my dad and Liam."

Harry nodded in understanding, and risked the movement of putting his hand on Louis' shoulder. Louis flinched at his touch, but relaxed when Harry's fingers dug comfortably into his skin—in almost a relieving way. The two boys locked eyes, and Harry's were dancing with care for the older boy, and a smile was plastered onto his good features,

"Well," He said softly, "now you have one more person in this town who cares about you."

* * *

><p>Hope you enjoyed it! Please read and review!<p>

-RAY x


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